In the social sciences, how do boundaries shape our understanding of relational processes? This article surveys influential research agendas across anthropology, history, political science, social psychology, and sociology. They all have boundaries at their center. The opening question directly captures the article's focus on the pervasive influence of boundaries in social science research. The survey discusses literatures on social and collective identity, inequality, professions, knowledge, science, communities, national identities, and spatial boundaries. It points to similar processes at work across a range of institutions and social locations. This article suggests paths for further developments, focusing on the relationship between social and symbolic boundaries, cultural mechanisms for the production of boundaries, difference and hybridity, and cultural membership and group classifications. It focuses on cultural membership and group classifications.
This review article, published in the Annual Review of Sociology, provides a broad overview of the concept of boundaries across various social science disciplines. This aligns perfectly with the journal’s mission to provide comprehensive and interdisciplinary perspectives on key sociological topics.