Executive Committee

Letter to ISA members

In this letter, you will find updates about:
1.    What Sociology can do in Wartime. Insights from Iran, Lebanon, Palestine, and Ukraine
2.    2027 ISA World Congress of Sociology
3.    The 2027 Congress Theme: “Global Sociology in Turbulent Times”
4.    Tributes to two former ISA presidents: TK Oommen and Michael Burawoy 
5.    Participation in forthcoming conferences and congresses with Continental or National Associations and Research Committees

Don’t miss: 
•    The 2027 World Congress calendar and theme: “Global Sociology in Turbulent Times”
•    Sociology in wartime: Insights from sociology in Ukraine and Iran
•    ISA webinar “War and Resistance in the Middle-East. What Sociology can Teach Us” on Monday, May 4, 2026 at 16:00 GMT. To attend this webinar, please register here. 
 

Dear ISA members,

2025 has been an exceptional year for the ISA. For the first time in ISA history, two major international events were held in the same year. In July, the 5th ISA Forum of Sociology, presided by Allison Loconto (Vice-President for Research), brought together 4,800 sociologists and social science researchers from more than 100 countries in Rabat, Morocco. In December, representatives of over 30 National Associations met in Pune, India, for the ISA Conference of the Council of National Associations under the leadership of Bandana Purkayastha (Vice-President for National Associations). In the days before the Forum, the ISA PhD Laboratory, organised by Elina Oinas (Vice-President for Finance & Membership) and the ISA Junior Sociologists Task Force, gathered sociologists from different regions of the world. Combining these events was made possible thanks to the commitment of their chairs and hosts, the collaboration with our local partners and the dedication and professionalism of the ISA staff and Executive Secretary, Cecilia Delgado-Molina. 

Simultaneously, the ISA has maintained its regular activities and advanced in the process of reviewing and improving a range of core tools and procedures, including the launch and further development of the ISA member portal, the revision of calls for hosting future Forums and Congresses, and a new website that will be available in July. Among the most important institutional projects, the development of an Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) policy that includes the establishment of an internal complaints mechanism has reached significant milestones thanks to the dedication of the EDI Task Force members and its chair, Debra Davidson.

I had the privilege to host the annual meeting of the ISA Executive Committee at the Catholic University of Louvain, Belgium, in February 2026. This is an opportunity to thank the EC members for their work and dedication to the ISA. Following the resignation of the Vice-President for Publications, Dan Woodman has been elected by the EC as interim Vice-President for Publications, at a crucial moment for the ISA publications and our collaboration with Sage. The EC meeting was also an opportunity to welcome two new National Associations into the ISA, representing Indonesia and Peru, as well as the new Thematic Group “Queer Sociology” (TG13), and to congratulate the new Research Committee “Emotions and Society” (RC58, upgraded from WG08), its president, Adrian Scribano, its board and its members for having built one of the most dynamic ISA research networks over the past decade (see RC58 website and newsletters).

Our energy is now increasingly focused on the preparation of the XXI World Congress of Sociology, which will take place in Gwangju, South Korea, under the theme “Global Sociology in Turbulent Times”, from July 4th to 10th 2027.

1. What Sociology can do in wartime
This intense year unfolded in turbulent times, marked by strong geopolitical tensions, wars, and increasing attacks on academic freedom. In such a context, one of the main roles of a professional association of sociologists is to provide information from and on the affected countries and regions, as well as analyses that provide a deeper understanding of the situation and of the work conducted by sociologists and social scientists. 

When war erupts, one might assume that the social sciences become a secondary concern and are forced into suspension until the end of the conflict. In different ways, the experience of our colleagues in Ukraine, Palestine, Lebanon and Iran tells us a very different story. 

The war has profoundly disrupted personal and academic life. And yet, Ukrainian sociologists have continued to teach, organise national congresses and conduct research. As I show in this recent article “What sociology can do in wartime. The resilience and dynamism of Ukrainian sociologists” (International Sociology, March 2026), Ukrainian sociology has not only persisted, but in several ways adapted and renewed itself. Sociologists document war crimes, but also daily life in a country at war, resilience and solidarity. They have adapted their methods, raised crucial epistemological questions, reoriented their research agendas, and strengthened institutional and international collaborations.  The article also draws on insightful research conducted by sociologists in Palestine and during the Duterte regime in the Philippines. 

On the first few days of the US and Israeli war against Iran, ISA magazine Global Dialogue published a series of six articles dedicated to sociology in Iran, a series coordinated by Nazanin Shahrokni and Reyhaneh Javadi. In their article, “Between Repression and Relevance: Rethinking Sociology Through the Lens of Iran”, they notably highlight the tensions between “sociology in Iran” and “sociology of Iran,” pointing to inequalities in visibility and knowledge production within global academia. Despite major challenges, Iranian sociologists develop innovative and resilient practices—across universities, informal networks, and the diaspora—showing how the discipline adapts and renews itself under constraint.

These issues will be at the core of the first session of the ISA webinar series “Global Sociology in Turbulent Times”: “War and Resistance in the Middle East: What Sociology Can Teach Us. Perspectives from Lebanon, Iran, and Palestine” with Rima Majeb (American University of Beirut, Lebanon), Abeer Musleh (University of Bethlehem, Palestine) and Nazanin Shahrokni (Simon Fraser University, Canada/Iran). 

I would also like to thank the ISA Human Rights Committee, chaired by Ana Rivoir, for the preparation and publication of a series of statements, in collaboration with National Associations and colleagues from different continents. 

In a context marked by political attacks on science, threats to academic freedom, the spread of disinformation, hate speech, environmental denialism, and growing repression of dissent, the declaration “A Time for Sociology” reaffirms sociology’s core values and its essential role in addressing global crises. Over 1,500 sociologists from all continents have endorsed it. It is now available in 16 languages and has been published in 13 academic journals. If you haven’t already, you may still endorse it on the ISA website.

2. 2027 World Congress of Sociology
The XXI ISA World Congress of Sociology will take place in Gwangju, South Korea, from 4 to 10 July 2027, as a fully in-person event. Under the theme “Global Sociology in Turbulent Times”, the World Congress will bring together a global community of researchers driven by the shared conviction that sociology has a crucial role to play in making sense of these turbulent times.

• The Congress theme, poster and guidelines are available on the ISA website.
• Our Korean colleagues from the Local Organising Committee (LOC) and the Korean Sociological Association are mobilised to ensure an outstanding setting for a World Congress and to foster an insightful dialogue with colleagues from South Korea, the East Asian region, and all regions of the world. I am particularly grateful to the chair of the LOC, Wonho Jang, and to Joon Han, the Korean Sociological Association’s delegate to the ISA.
• Chonnam National University will provide up to 1,000 places of accommodation for participants at a very affordable price. Information about the different categories of hotels and housing options near the university campus and in the city centre will be provided soon.
• The struggle for democracy in South Korea started with the 1980 uprising in Gwangju and remains deeply rooted in the city’s identity. When you plan your visit to Gwangju, keep some time to visit the May 18 Memorial Museum.

Main deadlines:
           2 May - 25 June 2026: Call for Sessions 
           3 August - 14 October 2026: Call for Abstracts 
           4 December 2026: Selection notification 
           27 January 2027: Deadline for applying for a registration grant (to be requested to your RC)
           23 March 2027: Registration deadline

• Please remember that the ISA does not extend any deadline.
• It’s not indispensable to wait until the last day to submit your proposal! ;-)

3. Theme of the XXI World Congress of Sociology
Global Sociology in Turbulent Times
In a world shaped by persistent turbulence and rapid transformations, in a public space dominated by disinformation and polarisation, how can sociology produce knowledge that goes beyond immediate reactions and contributes to a deeper understanding of ongoing changes? 

Sociology plays a crucial role to play in making sense of these turbulent times, by uncovering the social roots of crises and transformations, analysing how inequalities are produced and contested, examining how institutions, democracy and society are reshaped, and understanding how actors, from grassroots movements to global elites, navigate and transform our world.

These turbulent times are defined by profound paradoxes. Information has never been more accessible, yet misinformation, conspiracies, distrust and surveillance are on the rise. Technological developments, including AI, create unprecedented opportunities, yet also further concentrate power and wealth. Climate change is increasingly tangible in everyday life, yet strategically downplayed or blatantly denied by powerful actors. Deepening global interconnectedness affects all realms of social life and society, yet nationalist visions and racism are gaining strength, fuelling fragmentation, conflict, and war. 

In this context, one of the core missions of sociology is to analyse this expanding interdependence at the global scale. The global is more than an abstract analytical scale; it is a condition of shared vulnerability and shared responsibility. The interconnection of ecological, democratic, economic, and geopolitical crises calls for a global sociology capable of engaging with this complexity, moving away from reductionist narratives.

Global sociology is both an analytical perspective and a project. It invites us to forge a more inclusive discipline by building bridges – between North and South, East and West, academia and society, theory and practice. In the face of climate change, war, rising inequalities, and resurgent nationalism, sociology has become an indispensable tool for living together on a finite planet.

4. Remembering ISA past Presidents T.K. Oommen and Michael Burawoy 
Former ISA President Tharailath Koshy Oommen passed away on February 26, 2026. He served as Secretary-General of the 1986 ISA World Congress of Sociology in New Delhi and as President of the ISA from 1990 to 1994. The second ISA President from the Global South, and the first President from India and Asia, T.K. Oommen remains one of the most influential leaders in the history of the Association. Assuming the presidency at a pivotal historical moment, he called for a renewed vision of international sociology, one that should not be restricted to its Westernisation. Without him, the ISA and global sociology more broadly would not be what they are today.

Three tribute articles have been published in Global Dialogue: 

• T.K. Oommen: Social Movements and Sociology beyond Westernisation”, by Breno Bringel & Geoffrey Pleyers
• “Pluralism, Reconciliation and Minorities: The Legacy of T.K. Oommen”, by Arvinder A. Ansari
• “Sociology as a Calling: T.K. Oommen and his Times”, by Renny Thomas 

Michael Burawoy, ISA President from 2010 to 2014, abruptly passed away on February 3, 2025. A special issue of Global Dialogue, edited by Breno Bringel, has brought together seventeen contributions to illuminate different dimensions of his sociological legacy in different countries. A memory book, Remembering Michael Burawoy, was edited by the ISA Communications Officer Anna-Maria Kutateladze Wagner and released on the first anniversary of his passing. It is available online and brings together more than 40 accounts by colleagues based in over twenty countries across all continents.

5. Forthcoming congresses and visits
The President’s Corner on the ISA website provides the transcript or videos of most of my addresses and talks as ISA president. The latest additions include my address on the dialogue between India and global sociology delivered at the ISA Conference of the Council of National Associations in Pune, and my contribution to the opening session of the Fifth Congress of the Sociological Association of Ukraine, “A Congress to Celebrate the Resilience and Dynamism of Ukrainian Sociology”.

In the coming months, I will be attending the following congresses. I look forward to meeting many of you and having an opportunity for dialogues and conversations with ISA members in different regions of the world. Please do not hesitate to reach out if you plan to attend.

• 18-22 May: Pre-ALAS Congress “La sociología entre la crisis civilizatoria y nuevas alternativas”, organized by the College of Sociologists in Peru, Lambayeque, Peru.
• 15-16 June: “Alter-Activism, Ethics and Citizens’ Movements”, Talk and Seminar with the Sociological Scientific Society of Serbia, Belgrade.
• 29 June – 2 July: Rencontres sociologiques de l’Association Internationale des Sociologues de Langue Française, Bergamo, Italy.
• 13-14 July: “The Cultural Turn and the New Far Right”, International Conference co-organized by ISA RC47 & RC48, Bilbao, Spain.
• 15-17 July: Spanish Congress of Sociology “Challenges, evidence, solutions”, Bilbao, Spain.
• 19-23 July: World Congress of Rural Sociology, Porto Alegre, Brazil. Co-organised with ISA RC40 “Sociology of Food”.
• 26-31 July: Latin American Congress of Sociology “Between the polycrisis and alternatives. Horizons of Critical Sociology in Latin America”, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. 
• 25-28 August: European Congress of Sociology “Strengthening Democracies”, Warsaw, Poland.
• 19-24 October: International Social Council Midterm Meeting & Beijing Science Dialogue “Science in a complex world – Science for a better future’” Beijing, China.
• 21-22 November: Taiwanese Sociological Association Annual Conference “Resistance and Solidarity: Sociology for a World in Flux”, Taipei, Taiwan.
• 27-28 November: Conference of the Vietnamese Sociological Association, Dalat City, Vietnam.

Geoffrey Pleyers
geoffrey.pleyers@uclouvain.be
ISA President 2023-2027