Saskia Sassen

Saskia Sassen is the Robert S. Lynd Professor of Sociology at Columbia University and a prominent scholar in globalization studies, urban sociology, and migration. She is best known for coining the term 'global city' in her seminal 1991 work The Global City: New York, London, Tokyo and for her more recent work on 'expulsions' in the global economy. Sassen also holds affiliation with the London School of Economics and previously chaired Columbia's Committee on Global Thought from 2009 to 2015.

Her academic journey includes a PhD in Sociology from the University of Notre Dame, a Master's in Economics from the same institution, and a Bachelor's in Philosophy from the University of Buenos Aires. Born in the Netherlands, Sassen grew up in Argentina and Italy, studied in France, and is fluent in five languages (English, Spanish, Italian, French, and Dutch) with additional knowledge of German, Russian, and Japanese.

Sassen's research spans several interconnected areas that challenge conventional understandings of globalization. Rather than viewing globalization as a process that transcends territory, she examines how global economic processes materialize in specific territorial forms, particularly through what she calls 'global cities.' Her work consistently focuses on the structural conditions that produce inequality, displacement, and new forms of social organization. In her more recent work, she argues we have moved beyond traditional inequality to what she terms 'expulsions' - systemic processes that actively remove people from economic, social, and physical spaces through complex intermediary processes that often involve sophisticated knowledge and technology.

Professor Sassen's publication record shows consistent scholarly productivity across several decades, with her most recent work focusing on the predatory character of contemporary economies, urban digitization, and the implications of the pandemic for cities. Her research demonstrates a clear trajectory from early work on migration and global cities to more recent analyses of economic expulsions and digital formations, always maintaining a critical perspective on power structures and social justice.

• Prince of Asturias Prize in the Social Sciences (2013)
• Honorary Geographer by American Geographers Association (2011)
• Eminent Development Scholar by International Studies Association (2012)
• Eminent Scholar in Ethnicity, Nationalism, and Migration Studies (2014)
• Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et Lettres by French government
• Foreign Member of the Royal Academy of the Sciences of the Netherlands
• Twelve honorary doctorates from universities worldwide

As an academic mentor and institution builder, Sassen has directed major research projects including the Transnationalism Project at the University of Chicago (1998-2007) and the Committee on Global Thought at Columbia University. She is currently working on a new project examining 'Ethics of the City' with research sites in New York City, London, and Beijing. Her approach to scholarship consistently emphasizes the importance of place and territory even in a globalized world, challenging simplistic narratives about the relationship between the global and the local.