User:Msrasnw/Sociology and development

Julian Laite


 * 1) The models: capitalism, statism and agrarian socialism
 * 2) Economic development
 * 3) The rural sector
 * 4) Migration
 * 5) Industrialisation and working class formation
 * 6) Urbanisation
 * 7) Conclusion: perspectives on development

BOOKS

Ray Kiely Sociology and Development: The Impasse and Beyond Capital &amp; Class, Autumn 1996 by Filho, Alfredo Saad "In this excellent little book Ray Kiely makes an important contribution to the advancement of a Marxian understanding of the development process. Sociology of development is, like its cousin development economics, plagued by controversy. Kiely's journey starts with the analysis of the theoretical impasse in these areas. This impasse has been caused by the disappointing performance of traditional approaches of various persuasions, and by the lack of better alternatives. However, Kiely's interest is not purely academic, and not at all eclectic. Even though he discusses (often in considerable detail) the problems with non-Marxian approaches to development theory, his emphasis lies squarely on the different Marxian understandings of the process.Sociology and Development has eight sections. Section one (the introduction) provides a brief overview of development theories and outlines the main objectives of the book. Section two discusses the different Marxian views of development and, more specifically, how alternative readings of Marx have shaped the different perceptions of development held by his followers. Readers of Capital & Class will find this a very important chapter, especially because of the critique of `orthodox Marxism'. This conception of development is based on (a) a unilinear account of history (which generally derives from an uncritical reading of the preface to the Contribution to the Critique of Political Economy), (b) the perception that history is essentially a reflex of the development of the productive forces, (c) the evaluation of the relations of production in terms of their functionality for the development of the productive forces, and (d) the ensuing perception that capitalism (and even colonialism) are agents of the modernization of the `Third World'. Ray Kiely subjects this approach to development (whose most typical representative is Bill Warren) to a systematic critique, which is surely one of the most important contributions of the book. ** Two further points in this book are worth bringing to light. The first is Kiely's insistence on the importance of class for the analysis of development (pp.167169); the second is his rejection of `grand theories' of development (pp.77-80), which he considers counter-productive for a Marxian understanding of the process. *** I agree with both points, but even if I didn't, I would still warmly recommend this book to all C&C readers."

Sociology and development Tony Barnett  Routledge, 1988 -