Social Layers in a World of Territorial Containers, Political Closure, and Socially Differentiated Functionings

The sociology of social stratification is caught in a dead-lock: Data and concepts remain bounded by the nation-state while recent theorizing as well as popular debate focus on the global level.

Based on a theoretical book project, but illustrated by results from two inter- and transnationally comparative research projects on skilled migration, the paper suggests a novel approach to the challenge. Building on individualist traditions with their focus on the resources of persons and households but emphasizing the relational character of capabilities I take a closer look at the social contexts in which resources are put to use. In times of globalization we must assume that persons are placed in more than one social context and we should part with the assumption that the nation state can frame a congruent set of economic, political, cultural and territorial borders.  By clarifying the ways in which persons and their resources are embedded in territorial, political, and functional contexts sociology can identify social layers in the world that are structured (a) by their resources and (b) by the socio-spatial autonomy of persons and resources.

The proposed model of social layers in the world is adequate for both an analysis of populations residing in strong national welfare-states and for the larger part of humankind who is mobile and/or embedded in zones of weak statehood and/or in transnational social fields. As socio-spatial autonomy can be operationalized the model will contribute a distinctly sociological perspective to empirical research on global inequalities.