BEYOND CENTER-PERIPHERY DICHOTOMY: SOCIOLOGY IN THE GLOBAL ERA

Abstract

This article presents an overview of the paths of sociology in times of change in a globalized world. Looking at the four-year period from the XVIII ISA World Congress of Sociology, in Yokohama, to the XIX ISA World Congress of Sociology, in Toronto, it is possible to argue that sociology is going global and growing stronger each day. The paper stresses the importance of comparative analysis, the integration of theory and method, and the defense of Sociology as a scientific and academic field. The major question is how to keep on the move during times of profound geopolitical and geo-economic transformations and what is the place of Sociology in the global era. Hereupon we address the debate about sociological research in the 21st century considering the challenges and possibilities open to our academic field. We also analyze the contribution to sociological analysis of Latin-American and the BRICS sociologies who bring in perspectives that can go beyond the theories developed by early industrialized countries or, as they are called here, central countries.