ABSTRACT
In this chapter, the author argues that the long-standing reluctance of American sociology to involve itself with the study of communist systems is a reflection of other problems as well. These problems, characteristic of the discipline as practiced in the United States, include overspecialization, lack of comparative interests, and ignorance of history. Granted, since American sociology has always shown a resolute indifference toward communist systems their collapse could not be expected to have much impact on either its theories or practices. The preoccupations and blinders of American sociology add to the explanation of why its practitioners have shied away from the study of communist systems including the causes of their collapse. Sociology reflects what might be called a collectivized version of the preoccupation with the self, in this case, with American society, things American and familiar. Sociology in the United States has been intertwined with various idealistic, social engineering impulses.
