300190 Social Inequalities in Transnational Perspective, or Why is it so hard to change the world? (S) (WiSe 2012/2013)

A transnational perspective is nowadays widely used to describe and account for a broad range of phenomena, ranging from political participation, social movements and questions of identities. Less research exists on the production, reproduction and perception of social inequalities in cross-border contexts. This course embeds the analysis of social inequalities in a general context of inequalities of the world, namely the transnational social question. Whereas the ‘old’ social question in the 19th century focused on the dichotomies of class, there are manifold ‘new’ heterogeneities that have come into focus on transnational research, such as gender, ethnicity/race, age or transnationality. Two fields of analysis are discussed in detail: cross-border migration and commodity chains; the first relating to the mobility of people, the second to the mobility of capital. Regarding migration, inequalities between regions are not only among the roots of geographical mobility. Inequality is itself (re)produced or diminished through migration, for example, by remittances or care chains. From a transnational perspective, it is of utmost importance to consider the multiple reference points, in which different orders of inequalities may prevail, such as emigration and immigration regions. Regarding commodity chains, it is important to consider practices and rules regulating work and security, such as labor standards. Such regulations have implications for who is covered by standards and thus for social protection. The discussion of substantive topics is embedded in methodological reflections and the question of how to apply methods appropriate to avoid methodological nationalism.
In addition to reading seminal texts, this course offers an opportunity for developing research designs dealing with one of the seminar’s main topics.

Requirements for participation, required level

Diese Lehrveranstaltung richtet sich an MA- und PhD-Studierende.

Bibliography

Therborn, Göran, 2006: Inequalities of the World: New Theoretical Frameworks, Multiple Empirical Approaches. London: Verso.
Beck, Ulrich & Angelika Proferl (eds.), 2010: Große Armut, großer Reichtum. Zur Transnationalisierung sozialer Ungleichheit. Frankfurt a.M.: Suhrkamp.