Midterm Conference of ESA RN36: Sociological Knowledge and Social Transformations in Global Crises

Institute of sociology of the Czech Academy of Sciences cordially invite you to submit paper proposals for the Midterm Conference of ESA RN36: "Sociological Knowledge and Social Transformations in Global Crises"
Conference will be held in Prague and organized by ESA RN36 “Sociology of transformations: East and West”; and Institute of Sociology, Czech Academy of Sciences.

If you have practical questions please do not hesitate to contact local organizers: esa@soc.cas.cz

September 2-3, 2022, Prague, Czech Republic

Important Deadlines:

Deadline for submitting paper proposals (max. 400 words): June 30, 2022
Notification of paper acceptance: July 15, 2022
Deadline for registration: August 8, 2022

Abstract, language, and submission:

The organizers invite theoretically or empirically grounded papers on the above topics. Special consideration will be given to empirically grounded papers, either comparative or country-based. The language of the abstracts, the papers and the conference will be English. Abstracts should be about 400 words long and should be accompanied by the name(s) of the author(s), his/her/their affiliation(s) and e-mail(s).

The processes of abstract submission and acceptance will be managed using the online platform. Please submit your paper via Conftool.

To encourage the participation conference works will be held in hybrid format. Registration for participants will be available on July 1, 2022.

Scope and questions of the Conference:

We are living in the times of multiple global crises. The most recent one triggered by the war of the Russian regime against Ukraine has partly overshadowed the other crises in the public discourse but made them no less significant. Although the severity of covid-19 pandemic has decreased, many of its effects are still present. The global environmental crisis is only becoming more severe due to the recent developments. Many of the trends that seemed self-evident after the fall of the Berlin Wall have been stalled or even clearly reversed. Globalisation and democratisation are increasingly challenged by isolation and autocracy. The recently emphasised solidarity between liberal democracies combined with the consolidation of autocracy in Russia and China seem to resemble some aspects of the Cold War – but still in a hugely different world characterised by deep global interdependences and the predominance of digital technologies. This makes the futures of our societies even more difficult to predict – as new uncertainties are emerging with each new development.

How can sociology of social transformations address these challenges? The understanding of broad social, cultural, political and economic contexts as well as their interplays is more crucial than ever. The ability to observe different levels and aspects of social transformations may be a significant advantage of sociological knowledge in this situation: from the social systems and large-scale institutions to the individuals and their life-worlds.

The conference will address how individuals, communities, organisations, institutions, societies and their subsystems, as well as the global social order are changing when confronted with the current global crises and the related local issues:

How do they deal with the need for environmental, social, economic sustainability?
What are the responses to the changes brought upon during the global covid-19 pandemic, the effects of the war in Ukraine, such as the refugee crisis, the tense political relations and security threats or the prospects of the economic crisis?
Are different institutions sufficiently resilient to cope with such challenges and how are they transforming?
Are individuals becoming more reflexive or are they more prone to polarisation and homogenisation?
What role is played by the media, the civil society and its intermediary associations?

The contributions dealing with any of these or broadly connected issues are welcome at the conference.

Conference Fees:

for both on site and online participation

Regular fee: EUR 45
Discounted fee for ESA members: EUR 30
Discounted fee for PhD students: EUR 20
As a sign of our solidarity with the Ukrainian scholars, the board has determined their exemption from payment of the participation fee.

Practical infromation:

Accommodation and Travel: Will be covered by the participants.

Meals: Will be provided by the organisers.

Conference venue: Institute of Sociology of the Czech Academy of Sciences (Sociologický ústav AV ČR, v. v. i.), Jilská 1, Prague 1, Czech Republic (map)

Prague is the capital of the Czech Republic. Also known as the “City of a Hundred Spires”, it's known for its Old Town Square, the Gothic churches, the medieval Astronomical Clock and the Jewish Quarter mentioned by Franz Kafka in his novels. Prague is regarded by many as one of Europe's most charming and beautiful cities and has become one of the most popular travel destination in Central Europe. Rare exhibits in dozens of museums and galleries, centuries-old churches and elegant palace gardens. You can do a lot in one day in Prague. (source)

Contact: rn36.esa@gmail.com

Organizing institutions: ESA RN36 “Sociology of transformations: East and West” and Institute of Sociology of the Czech Academy of Sciences

CONFERENCE PROGRAMME

pdf version

The conference will be held in Prague and on Zoom platform (how to join a meeting?). The links for Friday and Saturday meetings will be provided to all participants via e-mail. After opening a link, you will be able to join a meeting by using Zoom Client (if installed), or you can simply join from your browser (no installation needed). If you have any practical questions please do not hesitate to contact us on esa@soc.cas.cz, we are ready to answer.

Keynote lecture: 40 min. lecture + 20 min. discussion
Regular session: 15–20 min. each contribution + 25 min. discussion

2 September, Friday

9:00-10:00 Keynote lecture (online)
Nikolai Genov (Freie Universität Berlin)
Societal Transformation as Lifting Millions of Poor People into Modest Affluence
(pdf files for download: 1, 2)
10:00-11:25
Session 1: Theory and practice of transformations
Ken Roberts / EUROPE 2022: Living amid two merging transformations
Agnieszka Kolasa-Nowak / How to expand sociological knowledge of social transformation? Historical sociology in Poland as a new way of addressing challenges of today
Zenonas Norkus, Jurgita Markevičiūtė / Regional Gross Domestic Product (RGDP) in the Restored Baltic States: Convergence or Divergence? (online)
11:25–11:35 Coffee break
11:35-13:00
Session 2: Covid-19 pandemics and transformations
Vincenzo Auriemma / Quality of life of post-Covid-19 patients: a comparative survey (online)
Frane Adam, Maruša Gorišek / Amnesia or reflexivity – how to overcome the pandemic “fatigue” (online)
Melissa Sessa / Challenges for sustainable smart development: sociological reflections (online)
13:00-15:00 Lunch break
15:00-16:25
Session 3: Scientific diasporas, refugees and transformations
Gabriele Tomei / Resilient Scientific Diasporas in the era of immobilization and de-globalization (online)
Horațiu Rusu, Alin Croitoru / Romanians’ solidarity towards the Ukrainian refugees. The way from individuals' pro-Ukrainian attitudes to acts of solidarity (online)
Tomáš Kostelecký / Czech attitudes to immigrants/refugees: comparison of 2015 and 2022
16:25–16:35 Coffee break
16:35-18:00
Session 4: Technologies, education and transformations
Adele Bianco / The Sixth Continent: Space exploration and exploitation and the role of new technologies (online)
Tea Golob, Matej Makarovič, Mateja Rek / Meta-reflexivity as a factor of media-education
Giada Cascino, Sergio Severino / The challenges of ethnic heterogeneity: the response of school policies and their implementation in local school institutions
Rima Žilinskaitė / Creative Activities and Collaboration on Web 2.0: Prosumption
19:30-22:00 Conference dinner

3 September, Saturday

9:00-10:00 Keynote lecture
Martin Ďurďovič (Institute of Sociology of the Czech Academy of Sciences)
Emergent consequences of narrating futures in structural transformations: The example of energy transitions
10:00-11:25
Session 5: Various topics
Petr Jehlička, Mladen Domazet / Counter-hegemonic resource-use practices at the household level: Insights from the epistemic periphery
Piotr Binder / Patriotic Industry in Contemporary Russia and its Perception in Social Media:"Russia My History" Chain of Historical Parks – An Online Ethnography
Piotr Kulas / Recognition as the Stolen Treasure. Right-wing Struggle for Recognition in Poland
11:25–11:35 Coffee break
11:35-13:00
Session 6: Youth, smart development and transformations
Alessandra Polidori / Youth Policy: a focus on the Erasmus Project (online)
Emanuela Susca / Young people between reflexivity and fears: from the pandemic to the new cold war (online)
Ilaria Iannuzzi / Smartness in the times of global crises. The role of community (online)
Romina Gurashi / What does sustainable peace tell us about the pandemic crisis? A study on the role of inequalities (online)