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Classics and currents of social stratification researchPolitical Culture (SPS-MEHVW-STR-24)

SPS-MEHVW-STR-24

Purpose

This seminar aims to discuss core theories, concepts and studies in the field of social stratification and mobility, and studies how classical ideas are still (or are not) relevant in contemporary social scientific research. We will read and discuss both classical and contemporary works, and investigate the continuity and change in research problems across (mostly) the 20^th and 21^st centuries. We will furthermore posit the field of social stratification and mobility in the broader literature on inequalities in contemporary societies, including inequalities by race/ethnicity, gender, and location. Specific attention will be paid to education as a channel through which inequalities are manifested. We will also reach out to adjacent fields on inequality, in particular political philosophy, economics, and political science.

The discussions in the seminar take various forms. Sometimes, we discuss the broader field, and ask what are the broad trends in social stratification research and how do recent papers contribute to long-standing debates? In other occasions, we dig more deeply into the empirical approaches that papers present. We will also ‘bring the outside world’ into the seminar by linking social scientific scholarship to real world problems and situations, for instance in relation to a recent report that was published, or a news item that appears. 

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