Studying Social Transformation

Abstract

Global change and the increasing importance of transnational flows and networks in all areas of social life create new challenges for the social sciences. However, their underlying assumptions are linked to their origins in Western models of industrialization and nation-state formation. There is still considerable national specificity in modes of organization, theoretical and methodological approaches, research questions, and findings. In contrast, social transformation studies can be understood as the analysis of transnational connectedness and the way this affects national societies, local communities, and individuals. New research approaches include a focus on transnational processes; analysis of local dimensions of change using participatory methods; and the construction of international and interdisciplinary research networks.