Abstract
The theoretical bases of modern Western sociology are critically discussed because of its culture-bound characteristics. In relation to the discussion, however, sociologists has not paid due attention to the Third World. Until the Third World proceeded to industrialization mostly after World War II, the Third World had usually been out of Western sociological sight. Though nowadays most of sociologists recognize practical importance of so-called problems of the Third World, the main concern of sociological studies of the Third World is limited within socio-cultural factors of industrialization. Sociology of development considers the Third World as backward countries or developing countries. This sociology is usually based on modernization theory which has distilled exclusively from the historical experience of modernization process in the West.
Development of the West had close relations to underdevelopment of the Third World. This fact was shown by many scholars from Karl. Marx to Basil Devidson. Development on one side often produces underdevelopment on the other. Then development problems should be studied with reference to inter-societal relationship. Max Weber and Emile Durkheim showed great concern in non-Western societies and studied those a great deal. They used, however, mainly a comparative method, and did not take into consideration the relationship itself between the Third World and the West though they critically discussed present and future conditions of modern industrialized societies.
Even today most of sociologists consider development or social change only as intra-societal process. If it continues to be neglected that development should be analysed also inter-societal process, sociology of development will be ideology of advanced industrial societies. I consider critically the theory of cultural diffusion and, try to comment on the possibility of sociology of “development and underdevelopment.”
