Because sociology generates knowledge which is highly relevant for understanding society and the relations between people, communities and social groups.. Because sociology can contri[r]
(1)THE FORD FOUNDATION
OFFICE FOR VIET NAM AND THAILAND (Opening Remarks by Charles R Bailey Representative,
ford foundation)
National Sociology Workshop: "Enhancing the Quality of Sociology Training and Research, Meeting the Demands of National Industrialization and Modernization"
Ha Noi, April 24, 2001
Good morning, Prof.Dr Nguyen Van Dao, Ladies and Gentlemen
From time to time, I get invited to make opening remarks at functions, but no invitation has pleased me more than the opportunity this morning to share a few words with you ,
(2)quickly learned that I could not make an effective contribution in my field, economies, unless I appreciated another field, sociology One reason for this may have been that my boss was a sociologist She naturally felt that sociology was important and how could I disagree? Another reason though is that the tools of economics alone were insufficient to explain how the Botswana farmers worked in community groups So the lesson I learned- sociology is important
In Viet Nam the economy, society and culture are all changing rapidly under influence of the introduction of market reforms, the industrialization and modernization policy, globalization and regional integration, and introduction & adoption of more bottom-up, participatory approaches to development With society changing so rapidly, the intellectual tools and concept to research, analyze and understand society must change as well Just as a emergence of computer technology has given rise to an completely new vocabulary that did not exist ten years ago, social changes-require sociological words and concepts that did not exist ten or twenty years ago Such social and conceptual changes generate new theories and methodologies with whieb social reality can be understood The changes in sociology affect the way in whieb the sociological research is conducted; the way in whieb sociology is taught; the documentary materials and sources that form the basis for sociological analysis and especially the people who form the sociological community in this country
In most countries where the Ford Foundation is or has been active, it has given support to the social sciences, including §ocj,ology I ha"e already told you why I personally
(3)think sociology is important Why does the Ford Foundation agree with me? Because sociology generates knowledge which is highly relevant for understanding society and the relations between people, communities and social groups Because sociology can contribute to solving problem t h a t arise from the interaction between people and social groups
Let me give a couple of examples
Most people used to think that forestry is about trees, and hence requires technical knowledge about trees But t h a t is only partly true: forestry is about how people deal with trees: plant, manage, exploit, destroy, and process trees - in a particular environment Now, many people are aware that in order to be able to manage and conserve the forests, the forestry sector needs to think about the people who live in and around the forest That realization gave rise to a new field- social forestry- which requires sociological knowledge about the relationship of people and trees
(4)learned that over the last ten years the Chinese have built that network of PRA practitioners in forestry, reproductive health, gender relations, community development, ethno-botany and several other field of development I was told that they had found this kind of applied sociology to be effective
I really donot think I need to tell you what the relevant of sociology is for Vietnamese society However, I hope that the meeting of sociologists, of which this is the culmination, will allow you to demonstrate to others your useful contributions to solving problems in Vietnam' society
More importantly, I hope that you will be able to tell us -foreign donors and government agencies- what you need to your job better, and be even more useful to Vietnamese society
This is your chance to let us know: we are listening
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