Suchergebnisse

The topic for discussion at the Seminar held in Rio de Janeiro, in Oct, 1959, concerned `Forces of resistance to change', the term `change' meaning that which leads to development, & `resistance' that which is opposed to the dynamic process of development. The focus of the discussion was Latin America (LA). The contributions dealt with public or private admin, stressing the continuing 'atrimonial character of the admin, which retards the adoption of the principle of rationality. Others stressed the obstacles in the way of increased production, either because worker-employer relations were still of the protected & protector type or because wage earning was not accepted as a worthy way of life. Sch's were not playing a positive role in econ development, because they often fulfilled only a suppletory or accessory function in the transmission of culture & in intellectual or technical training. Other retarding factors were discussed. The conclusions were summed up by quoting C. W. Mills: (a) that the question is a pol'al one; even if we claim to propound it in social Ial terms, we must bear in mind the pol'al forces which will be capable of taking effective decisions; & (b) that the answer to the problems of the development of LA is not to be found in 19th cent Europe, in the US or in the USSR. Ultimately, the sociol'ts' reflections end with an appeal to Utopian thought. M. Berg.