Village studies in the 1950s are considered as a paradigm shift in Indian sociology, which flourished due to the state's imperative of community development programme. The CDP was, however, funded by the Ford Foundation of the United States. This study argues that the major agenda behind the sentimental approach towards India by the Ford Foundation and the US was little more than an attempt to resist the spread of communism in Asia, and India was considered a major strategic location in south Asia. This paper discusses why Ford Foundation funded the CDP and village studies, and what benefits they got from it.
