Social stratification and methodological nationalism in migration research
Postdoc Gregor Schäfer has published the article “Researching high-skilled migrants between social stratification and methodological nationalism” in “Acta Sociologica”.
Methodological nationalism as a critique of container-based and nation-state-focused theory and empirical research is currently strongly anchored within migration studies, where it was initially developed.
While this has led to extensive literature and critical engagement with methodological nationalism, and ways to circumvent the national trap in many (sub-)disciplines, it has not much penetrated theories of social stratification. This conceptual paper is addressing this gap by discussing the social positioning of high-skilled migrants in contemporary stratified societies. This exemplary discussion is bringing together a critical perspective of methodological nationalism on class and milieu theory. And it is also confronting the critique of methodological nationalism with the question of the origin of social power and dominance, which are the foundation of stratification theories.
This article is drawing on Pierre Bourdieu's concept of social space and its derivative. Emphasis is given to Michael Vester's development of social milieu to highlight blind spots according to the critique of methodological nationalism. This paper shows that these theories have not grasped high-skilled migration thoroughly. It also outlines that migrant theories and their critique of methodological nationalism inadequately address the source of symbolic hierarchy and the formation of social stratification. Thus, both theoretical strands would benefit from a deeper conversation with each other.
Read the article (open access):“Researching high-skilled migrants between social stratification and methodological nationalism” in “Acta Sociologica”.