Modern societies are increasingly formed by social, economic and legal relations that dissolve the traditional boundaries of national states. Markets have outgrown systems of national regulation and international policy coordination. Transnational corporations and other cross-border organizations and networks interact in new patterns and set new standards of governance. Transnational migration, mobility and IT-driven communication change mindsets and public discourses. Contagion in financial crises, climate change and other critical developments reveal an interdependence of modern societies through uncoordinated transnational action that requires new institutional responses.

The complex process of transnationalization requires research that transcends the traditional boundaries and disciplinary frameworks of the social sciences. ZenTra – the Center for Transnational Studies, jointly run by the Universities of Bremen and Oldenburg – brings together researchers from Business Administration, Economics, Geography, Law, Political Science, Sociology and other disciplines to advance the studies of transnationalization.