Book Description

First Published in 1988. This stimulating and original book examines how sociological theory helps us to understand development. The author, writing with clarity and from long practical experience in the field of development, aims to show how different sociological theories cast light on the process of development both in the 'Third World' and in the 'Developed World'. He pays particular attention to the way in which that theory reflects the social, economic, political and racial assumptions of the time in which it originates. Tony Barnett maintains that the development process requires an understanding of the economic, cultural and political ways in which people organize their lives. This is facilitated throughout the book with the use of carefully selected and wide-ranging examples, quotations and case-studies which support and amplify ideas in the narrative - producing a truly interactive text that fully involves the reader. Sociology and Development is as illuminating about the developed world as it is about the underdeveloped world. But, as the author asserts, we are all citizens of the same world, increasingly - although unequally - sharing common resources, ideas and experiences. Sociology can tell us about the origins of this inequality and how it is maintained. Indeed, it is the book's main argument that an understanding of the relationship between sociology and the analysis of development can tell us much about whether, how and why development has occurred. Sociology and Development will be of great value to students of Development Studies, Third World Studies, Area Studies, and those wanting to supplement their work in economics and other development-rel,ated disciplines in both the social and environmental sciences. It is also a thought-provoking, entertaining and enlightening introduction for non-specialists.