Third World studies,development studies and post-communist studies: Definitions,distance and dynamism

The collapse of state socialism in the USSR and Eastern Europe in the late 1980s and early 1990s has had contrary impacts on Third World studies and development studies. On the one hand, the disintegration of the former Soviet bloc has made the spirit of 'non-alignment' of the Third World no longer relevant. On the other hand, the nature of post-communist transformation has led many scholars to study transition in terms of development. This article will examine the recent trend of decline in Third World studies and the penetration of development studies into post-communist studies. It will argue that the employment of development perspectives in transitology will widen our field of vision of post-communist transformation.