ABSTRACT
Cosmopolitanism has been used in reference to settings, eras, attitudes, processes and fields of study, ranging from politics to ethics or culture (see, for example, Beck 2006; Daedalus 2008; Delanty 2009; Fine and Boon 2007; Hedgehog Review 2009; Holton 2009; Pollock et al. 2000). Over the last decade the term has been among the most widely discussed topics in academia (for reviews, see Beck and Szneider 2006; Fine 2007). Given this burgeoning literature, it is clear that the cosmopolitan agenda is a major focus for scholars in the humanities and social sciences. This chapter addresses the evolving contours of cosmopolitanism in the field of empirical social research. While offering an overview of the current state of the art in empirical research, the chapter further attempts to develop an argument concerning the relationship between cosmopolitanism and social research. This requires meta-theoretical reflection, in large part due to the polysemous nature of cosmopolitanism.
