Sociology of Migration and Post-Western Theory

Abstract

How to build a Post-Western theory, based on the sociology of migration in France and in China? Where do “Western” and “Non-Western” theories converge, and how do common and situated knowledge coexist and interlock? Based on French and Chinese research experiences in the field of migration, this book highlights the proceedings of the co-production of practical knowledge which explicates the paradigm of Post-Western sociology. From an empirical standpoint, the cross-perspectives of French and Chinese researchers on the biographies of young Chinese migrants in China and young descendants of immigrants in France are confronted, with respect to five themes of migration sociology: migration and education; migration, gender and family; migration between integration and urban segregation; migration and work; migration and governance. Through this work, theoretical continuities and discontinuities between Chinese and French theory emerge, paving the way for a Post-Western space, based on shared legacies but also on different traditions and trajectories in international sociology.