International Sociology and International Sociology Reviews

‘Transnational class identities’ is our Topic of the Month for September 2023. On this topic, enjoy Free Access to this article by Lars Meier (University of Applied Sciences and Arts/HAWK, Germany) and E Attila Aytekin (Middle East Technical University, Türkiye ) published in International Sociology, Transformed landscapes and a transnational identity of class: Narratives on (post-)industrial landscapes in Europe. Read on to know more about the authors’ trajectory and work.

Lars Meier

Why are you working on this topic? Could you share an experience, a fact or a person who made you get engaged on that research?

L. Meier: Our research emphasizes the importance of class in the study of social inequality. We understand class as contested. Our research puts a focus on the emotional dimension of class. Our research was part of the EU funded SPHERE project (with 6 research regions and partners).

What would you emphasize about your academic trajectory? Can you highlight which have been your academic positions, universities, awards, departments and research centers?

L. Meier: I am a Professor of Sociology at the Institute of Sociology, Goethe-University Frankfurt. My work focuses on urban sociology, social inequality and diversity, cultural studies and ethnography. I was a Professor of Diversity and Social Work at the University of Applied Science and Arts (HAWK), Visiting Professor of Urban and Regional Sociology (Technical University Berlin) and had a position at the Institute for Employment Research (Nuremberg) and at universities in Bremen, München or Darmstadt. My recent publications include the book Working Class Experiences of Social Inequalities in (Post-)Industrial Landscapes – Feelings of Class (Routledge, 2021) and the award-winning textbook Theoretische Positionen der Stadtsoziologie [Introduction to Urban Theory] (Beltz-Juventa, 2018, 2nd revised edition, 2022).