“Everybody loves to hate methodological nationalism”: methodological reflections on moving beyond the nation-state in research design and practice

Surpassing the constraints of methodological nationalism has become one of the main questions in migration studies. Yet the nation-state framework continues to dominate research on migration. In this paper, we draw on two multi-sited fieldworks to discuss how to address methodological nationalism while attending to the centrality of the nation-state. We show how adopting a multi-sited and regime-based approach can help mitigate methodological nationalism in research practice. First, this approach decenters the nation-state by understanding the object of study as multiply situated, moving beyond single sites, cultures, and communities. Second, it focuses on the structures and processes that shape the subjects of study rather than on predefined analytical categories. Third, it enables a move away from nation-state centricity by focusing on regime mapping to identify the regimes relevant to the examination. Finally, we present an analytical approach, “merging,” to highlight regime patterns that transcend nation-state boundaries.