Margaret R. Somers

About the Author

Margaret R. Somers is a distinguished sociologist and intellectual historian whose work bridges the intersections of citizenship, markets, and human rights in modern society. A professor emerita at the University of Michigan, she has dedicated her career to unpacking the historical and cultural genealogies that shape political belonging and exclusion. In her seminal book, Genealogies of Citizenship: Markets, Statelessness, and the Right to Have Rights (Cambridge Cultural Social Studies), Somers meticulously traces the erosion of civic rights amid neoliberal transformations, drawing on thinkers like Hannah Arendt to illuminate the perils of statelessness. Her interdisciplinary approach combines rigorous archival research with incisive theoretical analysis, offering profound insights into how economic forces undermine democratic ideals. Somers' scholarship continues to influence debates on inequality, migration, and social justice worldwide.