A History of Transnational Sociology or a Transnational History of Sociology?

The history of sociology is a transnational history. Even the earliest sociological organizations sought to provide an overview of sociological work elsewhere and to engage critically with it. Today, however, the history of sociology is usually the history of a single national tradition. It is about a collection of different national traditions. While there have always been attempts at comparison and the establishment of relationships, a transnational history of sociology has yet to be undertaken.

This panel seeks to bring into dialogue different attempts to go beyond national frontiers in the history of sociology. This includes approaches that establish transnational connections with given theories, methods, or topics, approaches focusing on the role of migrant and exile sociologists, approaches that highlight the role of academic and other organizations in furthering sociology transnationally, and others. The central idea of this panel will be to open a path for a truly transnational history of sociology that takes into account those aspects that the national histories of sociology tend to overlook.