Studying race and racism – here, there, and everywhere

In this article, we reflect on the future of ethnic and racial studies within the discipline of sociology. We argue that theories in the sociology of race are currently marred by methodological nationalism, often treating racial structures, meanings, and ideologies as nationally bound phenomena. By contrast, we argue that the sociology of race ought to embrace a comparative-relational approach. We illustrate how this comparative-relational approach to race was established by classical scholars, and argue that sociologists of race, both in the U.S. and globally, would do well to return to this classical ethos. Both authors of the paper then reflect on their own transnational and global sensibility by reflecting on their own research projects.