Third ISA Forum of Sociology (July 10-14, 2016)

254

Analysing the Global/Regional/National/Local Divide. Comparative Perspectives on a "Blurred" Relationship

RC20 Comparative Sociology (host committee)

Language: English

Processes of globalization or transnationalization are widely associated with an increasing interdependence of different levels of analysis. The interrelations of these levels are discovered in nearly all social spheres and they influence social change and social action significantly. 
Though the relationship of the global and the local is subject to a variety of sociological analyses, its dynamics are captured only vaguely. Comparative perspectives enrich their understanding and foster the development of more adequate approaches for further research.   
Thus, we seek innovative empirical comparative analyses of global/regional/national/local relations. Contributions touching on methodological problems of comparisons across different levels (and thereby heterogeneous units) are also welcome. Possible topics may be, but are not limited to:  

Theoretical issues:

• What theories offer promising insights for a comparative analysis of the global-local divide?
• How can the (postulated) difference between the global and the local be captured theoretically?  
• What characterizes best the different processes between the different levels – coercion, adaption or translation?

Methodological issues:

• What are the relevant units for comparing different structural levels between the global and the local?
• How to grasp these units of comparison adequately?
• Which methodological approaches are most promising for analyzing the global/regional/national/local divide?

Substantial empirical analyses:

• How do markets, organizations, and movements shape the relationship between levels of globalization?
• Where do the different levels meet? Are social movements, NGOs or global cities focal points of the global and the local?

Posters: