On the Border: Framing Migration Interconnectivity between States and Societies as Diaspora or Transnationalism? A Response Formulated through Interdisciplinary Lenses

While migration is not new, either as a phenomenon or as a field of study, it is only recently that scholars have focused on the transnational dimension of immigrants’ groups and associations. On this particular topic, most scholars conceive what has been called “transnationalism” as relating to cross-border connections (Fox 2005). Yet, cross-border activities imply an inter-state connection, while transnationalism as practised by immigrants can also involve matters of interconnectivity between home and host societies. Therefore, particularly in studies of migration that adopt sociological perspectives, researchers should apply the classical Weberian distinction between State and Society and differentiate inter-state connections from inter-societal connectivity. However, even if this is a useful and valid exercise, a specific scientific need remains neglected: the need to consider those cases on the border between the domains of International Relations and Sociology. In such cases, both aspects of inter-state connections and inter-societal connectivity imply the same phenomenon. Indeed, sometimes events and processes produced within societies have impacts at State levels, and this is particularly true with the increasing role civil society is achieving in the International Arena. This chapter aims at highlighting how a new discipline, the sociology of international relations, has been developing in order to bridge this gap in the literature.