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Research Journal of the University of Ruhuna, Sri Lanka- Rohana 12, 2020

Western modernity and re-focusing on their own intellectual traditions and practices
whether they correspond to Western social science terminology and expectations or

not.

Whether sociology of South Asia is playing a liberal, progressive, and emancipatory
role as it did in the European context during its origin and evolution is a significant

question emerging from the various reviews. While there are differing perceptions
about sociology among the key stake holders such as the states, NGOs, religious

authorities, students and the public, and sometimes negative reactions also,

practitioners themselves seem to be caught in a time wharf when it comes to the
theoretical paradigms and methodological orientations being used in teaching and

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research . If as Comaroff and Comaroff state (and denied by other social scientists
from the West) the emergence of Western modernity was the result of north-south

collaboration, the question remains as to whether the emergence of non-Western

modernity or indeed South Asian modernity can be the result of north-south
collaboration as well? More profoundly, the emergence of alternative sociology (and

social science) discourse from South Asia/Asia can be the outcome of a north-south
collaboration designed on a different footing by seriously taking the suggestions and

critique contained in the work reviewed in this paper.

Given the crisis of the discipline discussed what is needed is a network of sociology

intellectuals spread across the region and beyond that can think beyond the box,
think long term with a historically informed social consciousness. They ought to be

able to read the local tradition and how modernity and education built on modernity
principles and values have deformed what we do and, in the process, alienated us

7 The liberal and progressive tradition of sociology at early stages at Dhaka University faced
challenges from a certain quarter of people. It even incurred the wrath of the Martial Law
government of erstwhile Pakistan. This government tried to close the department and
compelled the department not to enroll undergraduate students at a session three years
after its birth (F.R. Khan 2008). (Kais 2010: 345)

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