Global, Transnational, & Comparative Sociology

Global, Transnational, and Comparative Sociology is a cluster that encourages interdisciplinary approaches to global economic, political, legal, social, and environmental processes. Our associated faculty and students focus on all regions of the world, with particular attention to Africa, Europe, Southeast Asia, and India. A key aim is to go beyond the national versus international binary, which no longer represents our highly interconnected yet deeply stratified global community.  

We strongly encourage international students to apply to our program.

Faculty’s research interests include:

  • Nationalism and post-national forms of political community 
  • Racial formations in different parts of the globe 
  • International criminal law/justice and human rights
  • Global politics surrounding climate change
  • Intersectional feminist theory
  • Migrations, migrants, and diaspora
  • Holocaust remembrance, genocides, and the politics of representation
  • Comparative marginalities and neoliberal poverty governance 
  • NGOs and global governance institutions
  • The impact of international law on women's and children's rights
  • The global political economy of food
  • Transnational social movements
  • Social movements in comparative social and cultural contexts
  • Comparative labor policy governance networks

Interdisciplinary partners include:

Many associated faculty in this area of specialization are affiliated with the Global and Transnational Sociology Section of the American Sociological Association.

Associated faculty: Cawo Abdi, Yanjie BianElizabeth BoyleMichael GoldmanDavid KnokeAnn Meier
Joachim SavelsbergTom VanHeuvelen

Our faculty share a commitment with the University to value a diversity of viewpoints and experiences and to strive to provide a productive work environment for all University of Minnesota scholars from varying racial, ethnic, religious, social class, sexual identity, and national backgrounds.