The Sociology of Global Inequalities

Sociology still believes in a world of strong national welfare states that are concerned for their citizens. Many people, however, live in areas of fragile statehood or in states which actively threaten them. Others wander between states or work for transnational companies.

In this work Anja Weiß pleads for a sociological view of global inequalities which finally takes seriously these contexts beyond the state. To this end, she differentiates between territorially bound spaces and socially differentiated fields and politically contested affiliations. According to one of her theses, life chances arise between people and contexts –correspondingly, battles for access to the latter are often fiercely waged.