This course introduces key concepts and debates in international urban sociology. Beginning with classical and critical theories, it explores how cities function as spaces of inequality, governance, identity, and global interaction. A growing interest in cities, and more particularly in their international role, has developed over the past decades, as shown by the approval of the United Nations Urban Agenda in 2016. At the same time, cities are today confronted with the contrast between their ambitions and the vague impact of transnational actions. For instance, how can they take care of global warming while lacking skills and funding for their own environment policy?
This course is adressed to third year students of the network of Sciences’ Po (IEP – Grande école)