Transnationale Soziale Netzwerkanalyse

AbstractDer vorliegende Beitrag erortert Methoden der sozialen Netzwerkanalyse (SNA) als Instrumentarium zur Erforschung von transnationalen sozialen Formationen. Der Forschungsansatz der SNA erlaubt, Transnationalitat uber Beziehungen von Akteuren zu erfassen und somit die Untersuchung von sozialen Strukturbildungen, welche sich nationalstaatlichen Einteilungen entziehen. Anhand von zwei empirischen Beispielen werden zentrale Charak- teristika der netzwerkanalytischen Zugangsweise (Fokus auf Beziehungen, systematische Erhebungsvarianten, Visualisierungsmoglichkeiten von Netzwerkdaten) und deren Relevanz zur Erforschung grenzuberschreitender sozialer Phanomene thematisiert. Der Beitrag eror…

Transnational Social Networks—Current Perspectives

“[T]here is something mysterious about social networks. We live surrounded by them, but usually cannot see more than one step beyond the people we are directly connected to, if that. It is like being stuck in a traffic jam surrounded by cars and trucks. The traffic helicopter can see beyond our immediate surroundings and suggest routes that might extricate us. Network analysis is like that helicopter. It allows us to see beyond our immediate circle.” (Kadushin, 2012: 4)

Return Migration and Transnational Engagement—Reflections on the “Brain Gain for Africa”

“The famous aunt in America” or the meaning of transnational relationships revisited

Research on transnationalism has provided several empirical studies that depict social structures beyond national borders. One enriching contribution to this vastly growing literature represents a ...

Transnational Social Network Analysis

AbstractThe following article discusses methods of social network analysis (SNA) as an approach in researching transnational social formations. SNA allows transnationality to be studied through relationships between actors, enabling the investigation of social structures which expand nation-state frameworks. Two empirical examples are used to address the central characteristics of the network analysis approach (focus on relations, systematic collection of data, means of visualising network data) and their relevance for research on cross-border social phenomena. The article also investigates the significance of geographical mobility in the research process, culminating in reflection on how “…