Asian presence in the International Sociological Association

Abstract

This article attempts to understand the Asian presence in the International Sociological Association (ISA) in terms of (a) attendance at World Congresses of Sociology and (b) participation in decision-making bodies such as the ISA Executive Committee and the boards of the Research Committees. Viewing the size of the Asian population as a proportion of the world population, the Asian presence in the ISA is far from satisfactory. Being a Euro-American transplant in Asia, the sociological concepts and theories have not been able to fully capture Asian social reality. Further, the different socio-political and economic backgrounds of Asian countries – postcolonial (India), postsocialist (China) and democratic-capitalist (Japan) – have also led to differing participation in the ISA. For equity in participation in the ISA and the rapid internationalization of sociology the tension between the ‘universalism’ of Western sociological concepts and theories and the ‘particularism’ of Asian social reality need to be addressed. To achieve the intended objective of the ISA, namely the internationalization of sociology, it is necessary to recognize the specificities of all the ‘provinces’ in the Republic of Knowledge Production.