12th Conference of the European Sociological Association (ESA)

The 12th Conference of the European Sociological Association 2015 will be held in Prague from Tuesday 25 August to Friday 28 August.

The theme for the conference is 'Differences, inequalities and sociological imagination'.

What are the major issues that the global sociological community now has the responsibility to tackle? First and foremost, they arise from the exponential increase in social inequalities, a process that the international economic crisis has exacerbated beyond measure. This situation threatens the very existence of democracy and calls for the construction of forms of social analysis which are strongly connected to  the arena of public policy.

Yet an analysis of how inequalities are produced and reinforced would be incomplete without reflection on differences. Recognising and acknowledging the multiple expressions of difference – such as gender, social class, age, ethnic background, religion, and sexual orientation... - are vital when it comes to gaining insight into the ‘multiple positioning’ that characterises contemporary individuals. And this entails rethinking the meaning of integration today.

The ESA’s conference is an invitation to engage with these fields of inquiry. We live in an era in which new forms of domination call for a reframing of the questions sociology has tackled since it came into being. We need to work together to examine the intricate interweave of social, cultural, economic and political dynamics contained in the processes of change occurring in the twenty-first century. We need to renew our sociological imagination. The Prague conference aims to offer fertile terrain for this call to understanding and action. Read more on the conference website.

Abstract(s) jointly presented by Eurofound staff:

Peter Kerckhofs (Eurofound) & Pablo Sanz (NOTUS applied social research)

Representativeness of social partners in three European sector social dialogue committees (RN17 - Work, Employment and Industrial Relations)