The Dismal State of the Social Sciences in Pakistan

The report measures the development of social sciences against several criteria, some of which are listed here: the number of Pakistani social scientists who have made internationally recognised contributions to their disciplines, the extent of social science output reflected in number of books published and journals issued, and quality of such books and papers, and others. The author employs the approach of political economy and sociology of knowledge to understand and interpret his findings. According to his analysis the following factors decisively affect the state of the social sciences in Pakistan: the patronage role of the State; the prominence of the bureaucracy and its power and privilege; social and cultural values which encourage the acquisition of power, privilege and wealth; an intolerant culture where dissent and debate are discouraged; and the lack of effective and working institutions.