Historical and Philosophical Development of Development Sociology
Subject Areas : Iranian Sociological Review
1 - Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Benin, Benin City, Edo State, Nigeria
Keywords: Developing nations, western nations, Inequalities, Globalization, approaches,
Abstract :
Growing number of scholars in sociology has come to terms that sociology, like everything else, is aproduct of particular historical conditions. As there is sociology of everything. You can turn on yoursociological eye no matter where you are or what you are doing, taking for example, the latent reasoning usuallyadopted by sociologist in viewing issues as against some others who ignorantly engage in manifest deductions.Being a sociologist means never having to be bored, considering the whole gamut of issues it concerns itself withon daily basis. Sociologists engage extensively in questions linked to the causes and consequences ofdevelopment, and their findings often entail surprising policy implications and mitigations. The consensusamong leading development studies scholars accepts the era of modern development as commonly deemed tohave commenced with the inauguration speech of Harry S. Truman in 1949. In Point Four of his speech, withreference to Latin America and other poor nations, he said that “for the first time in history, humanity possess(ed) the knowledge and skill to relieve the suffering of these people”(Rist). Development studies has since takengreater interest in lessons of past development experiences of Western nations, human security, people-orientedapproach to understanding and addressing global security threat, implications of inequality to insecurity andeffect of insecurity in one region on global security. This paper is of the view that the vision and mission ofdevelopment sociology arising from the historical and philosophical standpoint is imminent for a proper graspof the discipline’s orientations by legend and budding scholars in development studies.