Share Tweet Share Email

NIU remembers Gian Sarup, Department of Sociology

June 15, 2015
Gian Sarup

Gian Sarup

Gian Sarup, a professor of sociology at NIU from 1972 until his retirement in 2000, died Friday, June 12, in DeKalb after a long fight with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). He was 82.

Sarup, who also chaired the Department of Sociology for six years, specialized in social psychology, attitude change and research methods.

Born March 3, 1933, in Bhera, India, Sarup held a bachelor’s degree in political science and philosophy from Panjab University and a master’s degree in psychology from the University of Delhi, where he also lectured from 1960 to 1965 and from 1969 to 1972.

He earned a Ph.D. in sociology from Penn State University.

“I had the privilege of knowing him for 24 years. He was a kind and gentle soul, and always took the time to talk to me whenever he saw me,” said Murali Krishnamurthi, an NIU Presidential Teaching Professor and acting vice provost for Faculty Affairs.

“He was well-known in the Indian-American community in the DeKalb-Sycamore area, and had given many talks and lectures on religion to the Indian community,” Krishnamurthi added. “He had lived in India during the time of Indian independence and partition, and had shared with me about his experiences living there during that time.”

Sarup was a member of the American Sociological Association and the America Psychological Association.

Among his published articles were “Gender, Authoritarianism, and Attitudes toward Feminism” (Social Behavior and Personality, 1976), “Toward a Measure of National Integration for India” (Indian Journal of Psychology, 1975) and “A Reference Group Theory of Social Movements and Identity” (Social Science, 1975).

He is survived by his wife, Sneh Sarup and elder brother, Prem Sarup, along with many nieces and nephews. A visitation was held Monday, June 15, at Anderson Funeral Home in DeKalb.