Global Studies

The UCSB Sociology Department has achieved international visibility amd acclaim in the area of Global Studies. Additionally, our department has a strong presence in UCSB’s interdisciplinary doctoral emphasis in global studies and UCSB’s Global & International Studies Program. The Global Studies area in sociology encompasses a variety of paradigms and approaches for understanding the processes that are reshaping the world today. The acronym “GRID” captures this multiplex of transnational, regional, the international, and developmental dimensions. Global calls attention to the truly transnational social forces that span national borders and indeed the entire globe, whether they are economic, political, environmental, cultural, or religious. As a perspective, it highlights the impact of globalization and transnational processes on such extant areas of the discipline as race, culture, gender, and development. Regional emphasizes the study of geographical areas throughout the world, often encompassing more than one country: for example, borderlands (e.g., the U.S. Mexican border, Kashmir); diasporic communities (e.g., the Chinese throughout East Asia); or regional trade arrangements (e.g., NAFTA, the EU). International emphasizes the relationships among the existing system of nation-states, and the tension between the forces of nationalism and globalism. Development comes out of the area studies tradition devoted to Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Middle East, and calls attention to the economic and social transformations of the global south, including reformist and revolutionary struggles, resistance movements, and the role of women and people of color in recasting the very meaning of development processes.

Working Group Schedule PDF

Faculty:

Relevant Links:

UCSB Global and International Studies

UCSB Interdisciplinary Emphasis in Global Studies

American Sociological Association Section on International Migration

American Sociological Association Section on Political Economy of the World-System