Re: could anybody assist me in relation to ....?

It is an interesting question. Let me add that the
term "sociology" was apparently invented by a French
thinker, Auguste Comte, in the 1830s. It was a new
term for a supposedly new science, that had already
being invoked under the name of "social physics" or
"social arithmetics" especially in England. The French
touch given to the enterprise by Comte was appreciated
again in England, where Herbert Spencer became the
first successful "sociologist" (having Comte died poor
and lonely, and totally crazy according to the people
who knew him).

A major contribution to the spreading of a vague idea
of the "western sociological tradition" was given by
Talcott Parsons in the 1930s and after WWII, who put
together (somehow "creatively") the main ideas of a
French (Durkheim), a German (Weber) and an Englishman
(Marshall).

A critique of "sociology" as pseudo-science used to
justify the tenets of capitalism comes from Lukasz,
from a marxist point of view, and from some
"ethnomethodologists" (Garfinkel and followers).

Best wishes
Francesco Ranci

--- Threehegemons@aol.com wrote:
> In a message dated 5/22/2003 6:44:18 AM Eastern
> Standard Time, seyedjavad@hotmail.com writes:
> Interesting questions
> 
> 
> > what are the key points in relation to the
> so-called 'westerness of sociological tradition'? 
> 
> Sociology was largely produced in the context of
> industrializing Germany and France.  It was presumed
> that the features of these polities represented
> general tendencies of 'modern' society.  It was
> often theorized that something unique about the
> Western experience led to their 'development'.  My
> understanding is that the charge of Eurocentricism
> usually involves a critique of the idea that
> experiences of these countries represent universal
> tendencies--so all sorts of terms, including class,
> capitalism, etc can be regarded as Eurocentric
> categories.  Furthermore, the interrelationship
> between these states and other parts of the world
> were usually considered exterior to the project of
> sociology.
> 
> And what are the major currents of
> 'anti-eurocentric' critiques?
> 
> Identifying 'modern' culture as historically,
> geographically specific, rather than a universal
> tendency.  Identifying the way modern society,
> including the social sciences, was constituted
> through a relationship with many non-European
> actors.  Considering the relevance of non-western
> categories to explain society.  Opening up the
> possibility for other historical narratives besides
> the expansion of capitalism.
> 
>  Last but not least I wish to know who are the major
> contributors among postmodernists, world-system
> theorists and multi-culturalists (names, 
> > major works, articles etc.)?
> >
> 
> Postmodernists--Jaques Derrida, Lyotard,
> Baudrillard, Jameson (critique)
> 
> World Systems--Immanuel Wallerstein, Giovanni
> Arrighi, Samir Amin, Andre Gunder Frank, Christopher
> Chase Dunn.
> 
> Multi-Culturalists--Gloria Anzaldua, Bell Hooks,
> Cornel West, Judith Butler  
> 
> Steven Sherman


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