Southern Theories In Northern Circulation: Redirecting Histories of Sociology

The history of sociological production and circulation has been shaped by the notion that theories and methods spread from the Global North, or “centres”, to the Global South, or “peripheries”. However, little attention has been paid to the transregional circulation of sociological theories from the Global South (called Southern Theories by R. Connell ) to the Global North, and their impact on the transformation of the social sciences. Recent histories of sociology in peripheral regions have demonstrated that certain categories, methods, and debates have travelled and exerted a global influence, particularly during turbulent periods such as those marked by the Cold War, and during the reorientation of the social sciences after the fall of the Berlin Wall. We invite contributions that focus on the following dimensions: 1) The reception of Southern Theories in the so-called “centres” or Global North (processes of translation, modification, application in empirical research, or inclusion in teaching); 2) The role of sociologists from the “Third World”/Global South in the ISA and international organisations such as CEPAL, UNESCO, ILO and the World Bank; 3) The role of South–North mobility, exile and the institutional consolidation of area studies as channels for circulation. By focusing on this under-explored area of the circulation of social theories, we aim to provide empirical studies of the conditions and forms of South–North exchanges within the unequal process of the internationalisation of the social sciences. Thus, we propose redirecting the research agenda within the history of sociology and the sociology of knowledge.