Junior Sociologists

XVIII ISA International Laboratory for PhD Students

Interpretation and Analysis in Global Sociology
July 1-6, 2025
Rabat, Morocco

The ISA invites early-career sociologists to participate in the 2025 edition of its International Laboratory for PhD Students in Social Sciences. The focus will be on data interpretation and analysis, with particular attention to the challenges and opportunities presented by the use of global perspectives. The Laboratory welcomes PhD students in the middle stages of their doctorate, particularly those who have collected data and started analyzing it from a global sociology perspective (broadly defined).

Sociological tools – methods, theories, concepts, approaches, and questions – are increasingly shared and adapted across the global sociological community, facilitated by online resources and digital communication. Yet, even for those working within a global sociology framework, sociological analysis remains deeply rooted in everyday life, local and national cultures, and pressing issues of the societies being studied. How can we navigate between different levels of analysis without falling into the trap of a simplistic local-global dichotomy? Ongoing discussions on the decolonizing of academia have also shed new light on questions of the “local” and the context. When the local is constantly entangled and shifting, the interpreter needs to make choices about what to emphasize. This laboratory seeks to explore in detail “how” this process unfolds. Participants are invited to present their work-in-progress and discuss how they are contextualizing their research or exploring the unresolved analytical challenges they face.

The ISA International Laboratory for PhD Students in Social Sciences has been organized by the International Sociological Association since 2000. Doctoral students are selected through a competitive selection process. The aim of the Laboratory has been and remains to support the ISA goal of building a truly international association, creating opportunities for early-career sociologists from across the world to meet, work together, and build long-lasting intellectual relations. 

The 2025 PhD Lab will take place the week before the 5th ISA Forum of Sociology (Rabat, 2025) and participants selected for the Lab are expected to register and participate in the Forum. 

Applicants are encouraged to submit abstracts to the Forum (by the deadline of October 15, 2024, see https://www.isa-sociology.org/en/conferences/forum/rabat-2025/5th-isa-forum-call-for-abstracts), but this selection process is separate from the PhD Lab selection. For the PhD Lab selection, those whose papers have been accepted at the Forum will be given priority. 

Costs: No participation fee. 
Travel to Rabat, accommodation, and meals during the Lab will be covered by the ISA.

The Lab Venue: University of Mohammed V, Rabat, Morocco.

Application Process
To apply, prepare a single PDF file including: 

• a one-page cover letter that connects to the theme and presents demonstrates interest in the ISA,
• a research plan of 3 pages maximum,
• a CV of 3 pages maximum

Applications should be submitted through this application form, attaching  the mentioned documents as one single PDF, by November 15, 2024, at 24:00h UTC/GMT.

Deadlines
Applications: November 15, 2024 (no deadline extension)
Notification of Acceptance: December 15, 2024.
Registration for ISA Forum: March 22, 2025.
Binding registration by selected students: March 30, 2025.

Selection Process
The Selection Committee will select 12 doctoral students from different countries with different academic backgrounds, conceptual paradigms, and research projects. In addition, 3-5 local PhD students will be selected to attend the PhD Lab. The organizers will take into account the national and educational diversity of the applicants in order to ensure the inclusion of more participants from educational institutions in category B and C countries. 

Priority will be given to the quality and originality of the PhD research projects and to accepted papers at the 5th ISA Forum of Sociology, to full-time students and to applicants who are planning to continue as active ISA members and attend future ISA Forums, Congresses, and research committee activities. Be sure to indicate these plans in your cover letter.

English is the working language of the PhD Lab.

Questions
If you have any questions, please get in touch with the ISA Secretariat at isa@isa-sociology.org

Organizer
ISA Vice-President for Finance & Membership, Elina Oinas elina.oinas@helsinki.fi