EMPIRICAL STUDIES OF BORDERS AND CROSS-BORDER INTERACTIONS: SOCIOLOGICAL DISCOURSE OVERVIEW

Abstract

The paper analyzes the experience of Ukrainian and foreign empirical sociological studies of cross-border mobility and cooperation as the main forms of cross-border interactions and to outline the subject field and meth-odological principles of research. The periodization of the development of theoretical sociology was used to or-ganize the discourse of theoretical sociology on cross-border interactions. Methodological principles of sociolog-ical research of cross-border interactions are formulated. The consideration of cross-border interactions at four levels is substantiated: micro, meso, macro and inter-level. The micro level of cross-border processes is related to the experience of crossing the state border by specific entities, or trade at the local level. The mezo level relates to cross-border phenomenas that extends to regions such as regional cross-border cooperation. The macro level cor-responds to cross-border processes that cover the entire territory of the state (interstate relations, international relations of national actors, interstate trade). The inter-level of cross-border phenomenas is related to the crossing of the borders of several or even many states.