A new open-access article titled “The United States in the World Today: How Sociologists Think About It and Why It Matters”, by Grégoire Mallard, Shirin Barol, and Nina Teresa Kiderlin, has been published in the Annual Review of Sociology. The article presents a fresh perspective on U.S. foreign relations and its global influence, challenging traditional approaches to the study of these topics, contending that contemporary sociological analysis neglects to question US power and influence.  

While most research has historically focused on domestic policy or foreign policy, this article argues for a broader look at foreign relations as a series of entanglements between societies, transnational movements, expert networks, and fields. The authors highlight how sociologists have historically examined the United States' role in global dynamics through the lenses of world society and world-systems theories. These theories analyse transnational relations and the U.S.’s impact within these dynamics, particularly in terms of power. Moreover, the authors explore field theory, proposing that the study of transnational fields can offer a new perspective on understanding the historical and contemporary roles of the United States on the global stage.

This article is part of the ERC-funded project “Bombs, Banks and Sanctions”. 
You can read the full article here.