Network analysis in comparative social sciences

This essay describes the pertinence of Social Network Analysis (SNA) for the social sciences in general, and discusses its methodological and conceptual implications for comparative research in particular. The authors first present a basic summary of the theoretical and methodological assumptions of SNA, followed by a succinct overview of its application to diverse fields of study. They then exemplify in greater detail one of the possible uses of SNA in comparative research, namely in studies on the transnational diffusion of innovations. In so doing, they draw on a case taken from their own research work, i.e. the introduction and dissemination of the so-called monitorial system of education in early nineteenth-century Hispanic America. The authors conclude with an assessment of the impact, possibilities, and weaknesses of SNA in the current conjuncture of comparative social and historical research.