300031 Transnational Studies and Social Inequalities (S) (SoSe 2011)

This seminar introduces into three perspectives on cross-border phenomena -- transnationalization, globalization viz. world theories, and cosmopolitanism -- and applies these perspectives to global social inequalities. Over the past years these approaches have become key analytical concepts across the social sciences. Globalization has swept the social sciences since the 1980s, describing ever denser and more intense flows of goods, ideas, capital and partly persons spanning nation-states worldwide. Similar top-down approaches can be found in world theories, such as world systems theory and world polity theories. Transnationalization is of more recent origin and has been applied to diverse phenomena which involve non-state actors in continuous and stable cross-border flows, such as migration, social movements, religious communities, commodity chains and crime. Cosmopolitanism is the oldest among these approaches and has experienced a revival and redefinition in recent years. This course pursues two goals. First, students familiarize themselves with the commonalities and differences of theories covering globalization, transnationalization and cosmopolitanism. Second, the participants learn to apply each of the three perspectives to issues related to global social inequalities.

Teilnahmevoraussetzungen, notwendige Vorkenntnisse

Seminar in englischer Sprache. Diese Lehrveranstaltung richtet sich an MA- und PhD-Studierende.

Literaturangaben

Khagram, Sanjeev & Peggy Levitt (eds.), 2008: The Transnational Studies Reader. Intersections & Innovations. London: Routledge.

Beck, Ulrich & Angelika Proferl (eds.), 2010: Große Armut, großer Reichtum. Zur Transnationalisierung sozialer Ungleichheit. Frankfurt a.M.: Suhrkamp.