Category: Announcements

Doctoral students in departments of sociology who have not yet defended their dissertation proposals are invited to apply to dissertation proposal development workshops on “problem solving sociology.”  Northwestern University will pay for economy-class airfare and accommodation in Evanston, IL, plus meals and transportation expenses, for a one-day preliminary workshop as well as a one-day final workshop.  These workshops are made possible by a grant from the National Science Foundation.

Problem-solving sociology seeks to use sociological theory to shed light on solving (not just describing) contemporary social problems, and seeks to use investigation of these problems to further sociological theory.  The approach proceeds from the assumption that mitigating critical social problems can be a catalyst for breakthroughs in the basic understanding of society.

Workshop participants will attend two one-day workshop events: a preliminary workshop (November 29, 2018, or December 6, 2018) to introduce the approach and give preliminary feedback to students’ ideas, and a final workshop (May 23, 2019 or May 30, 2019) to give more detailed feedback on students’ full dissertation proposals.

To apply, please submit by September 30, 2018, to mirieliyahu2014@u.northwestern.edu a short cover letter detailing your university, your year in the program, whether or not you have defended your dissertation proposal and what date you expect to defend it, and any other information that might be relevant (including if one of the dates above does not work for you—but please note that in that case we may not be able to accommodate you at all); and a separate document, no more than 2 single spaced pages, responding to some or all of the following questions (not all questions will be relevant for all applicants):

1)       What is the social problem that you seek to solve?  What are some potential solutions, and how can research shed light on how to move forward with solutions?

2)       What social theories or approaches might be useful in solving this problem?  If none, can you use this research as a way to critique and reformulate existing theories?

3)       (more relevant for some topics than others) Have you been involved with non-academic groups that work on this problem?  Describe if so, or if you have plans to be in future.  Do you see a way to engage sociological theory with the work of these groups?

4)       (if possible) How could short-term solutions feed into longer-term, structural change on this problem?

We welcome both creative and ambitious ideas, as well as focused and practical ideas, as well as ideas that are somewhere in between.  If the problem is the basic structure of the economic system and the only solution that you see is revolution, then think about how to bring about revolution.  If the problem is colleges closing over spring break and low-income students having nowhere to go, think about how to get institutions to respond to the needs of nontraditional members.  If the problem is racism or sexism, think about how to solve (not just describe) racism or sexism.  If you already know the solution to the problem, but the problem is convincing policymakers, then focus on how to convince (or change) policymakers.

Problem-solving sociology is discussed in the latest issue of Contemporary Sociology but we are less interested in whether or not you have read this material and more interested in hearing your original ideas.

St. Louis, MO, October 13-14, 2018

Call for Papers

The Critical Social Ontology Workshop is an interdisciplinary venue for radical thinking about the metaphysics of irreducibly social phenomena. Core members of the CSOW are Ruth Groff (Coordinator), Sally Haslanger, Tony Lawson, Doug Porpora, Vanessa Wills and Charlotte Witt.

We invite paper proposals for the 2^nd annual meeting of the Workshop, to be held at Saint Louis University. We will be interested in contributions the aim of which is to address fundamental issues of social ontology and/or foundational meta-theoretical issues that have implications for social ontology, and to do so in ways that shed light upon and/or offer alternatives to existing positivist; Humean; post-modern; or other orthodoxies in philosophy and social science.

The annual meetings of the Workshop are intended to be supportive, working conferences. Presenters will be asked to upload outlines of their papers in advance of the conference so as to maximize the opportunity for constructive conversation. We hope to eventually be able to publish some or all of the proceedings of the CSOW annual meetings in one way or another (we will keep you posted as we move forward with these plans).

The Critical Social Ontology Workshop is unfunded. We will ask those participants who can afford to do so to contribute $30-$40 to help offset the basic costs of running the conference.

To submit a paper proposal:

Send an e-mail to criticalsocialontologyworkshop@gmail.com in which you provide the following: (1) a title; (2) a short abstract (200 words) that includes a clear statement of what the driving claim of the paper will be; (3) your contact information. Please do be sure to include a clear statement of the thesis of the paper in your abstract (i.e., “I will argue that … “).

Deadline: August 1, 2018.

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

August 10, 2018

SUBMISSION DEADLINE: February 22, 2018 by 11:59 PST (EXTENDED)

We invite submissions of extended abstracts for the 12^th Junior Theorists Symposium (JTS), to be held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on August 10th, 2018, the day before the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association (ASA). The JTS is a one-day conference featuring the work of up-and-coming sociologists, sponsored in part by the Theory Section of the ASA. Since 2005, the conference has brought together early career-stage sociologists who engage in theoretical work, broadly defined. We especially welcome submissions that broaden the practice of theory beyond its traditional themes, topics, and disciplinary function.

It is our honor to announce that Alford Young (University of Michigan), Nina Eliasoph (University of Southern California), and Margaret Somers (University of Michigan), will serve as discussants for this year’s symposium.  In addition, we are pleased to announce an after-panel entitled “Getting out of our heads: Taking theory from the cognitive, into the body/space/place/time,” to feature Ellis Monk (Princeton University), Rebeca Hanson (University of Florida), Rene Almeling (Yale University), and Vanessa Ribas (University of California, San Diego). We will conclude with a talk by 2017 Junior Theorists Award winner Larissa Buchholz (Northwestern University).

We invite all ABD graduate students, postdocs, and assistant professors who received their PhDs from 2014 onwards to submit up to a three-page précis (800-1000 words). The précis should include the key theoretical contribution of the paper and a general outline of the argument. Successful précis from recent year’s symposium can be viewed at this location. Please note that the précis must be for a paper that is not under review or forthcoming at a journal.

As in previous years, in order to encourage a wide range of submissions, we do not have a pre-specified theme for the conference. Instead, papers will be grouped into sessions based on emergent themes and discussants’ areas of interest and expertise.

Please submit your précis via this Google form. Allison Ford (University of Oregon) and Linsey Edwards (Princeton University) will review the submissions. You can contact them at juniortheorists@gmail.com with any questions. The deadline is February 22, 2018 (extended). By mid-March we will extend up to 12 invitations to present at JTS 2018. Please plan to share a full paper by July 21, 2018. Presenters will be asked to attend the entire symposium and should plan accordingly.

Finally, for friends and supporters of JTS, we ask if you consider donating either on-site, or through PayPal at this link or to the juniortheorists@gmail.com account. If you are submitting a proposal to JTS 2018, we kindly ask that should you wish to donate, you only do so after the final schedule has been announced.

Prosopographical methods in international and economic history

Emmanuel Mourlon-Druol (European University Institute/University of Glasgow) and Youssef Cassis (European University Institute)
17.05.2018 bis 18.05.2018, Florence

The aim of this workshop is to explore the contribution, purposes, and limits of the use of prosopographical methods in international and economic history. Prosopography – the collective biography of a previously defined group of actors – has regained prominence in recent years (Delpu 2015, Descimon 2015, Fellman 2014, Kansikas 2015, Lemercier and Picard, 2011). While it has always been central in ancient history, prosopography in modern history went through various phases of prominence and decline, giving way to biography before coming back over the last decade. To some extent, international and economic history have followed the same pattern. However, as international history has longer been focussed on ‘great men,’ the use of prosopography has been less salient, while in economic history, studies of entrepreneurs, business elites and business communities have a long-established tradition. Still, despite these differences, prosopography has until now been comparatively less used in international topics.

There has been much debate over the merits and pitfalls of this methodology. Its objectives, definition, and ways of proceeding have long been discussed and never been definitely settled. From the ‘elitist’ focus on small groups of important actors to the statistical analysis of large social groups, prosopographical approaches have been very diverse. How to define the group under study, and what characteristics to look at, prompt different answers from different scholars.

Yet, recent developments in international and economic history, paying more attention to networks, to the entanglement of state and non-state actors, or to the role of ideas, call for a fresh look at prosopographical methods. In particular, prosopography can help international and economic historians better understand the relationship between individuals and institutions, and the interpersonal links or intellectual influences across these institutions. Prosopography can also shed light on previously little known actors, clarify the workings of specific international networks and professions, and contribute to explain the international circulation of ideas. How can prosopography be used in international and economic history, despite the challenges and idiosyncrasies of each discipline and method? The workshop is thus designed as an opportunity to discuss historiographical and methodological approaches to the use of prosopography in international and economic history.

The workshop will take place on 17 and 18 May 2018 at the European University Institute in Florence.

Eligibility and how to apply:

PhD students, early career researchers, and confirmed researchers are invited to submit proposals. We encourage submissions on any aspects of late nineteenth/twentieth century international history, and (international) economic history.

Applicants should submit an abstract of no more than 500 words clearly explaining why and how they use prosopographical methods in their research, and a short CV by 19 March 2018 to EURECON Project Administrator Katie Wright, rso-admin-eurecon@glasgow.ac.uk, mentioning ‘Prosopography Workshop’ in the headline. Selected applicants will be informed by the end of March 2018.

Please note that should your institution be unable to do so, there are limited funds available to support your accommodation and travel expenses.

For further information please contact Katie Wright rso-admin-eurecon@glasgow.ac.uk.

Final date for submissions: 19.03.2018

Scientific committee:

Dr Emmanuel Mourlon-Druol (European University Institute and University of Glasgow)

Professor Youssef Cassis (European University Institute)

Dr Alexis Drach (University of Glasgow)

Professor Neil Rollings (University of Glasgow)

References

Pierre-Marie Delpu (2015), ‘La prosopographie, une ressource pour l’histoire sociale,’ Hypothèses, 18:1, 263-74

Robert Descimon (2015), ‘Prosopographie, dites-vous?’, Hypothèses, 18:1, 335-42

Juha Kansika (2015), ‘The business elite in Finland: a prosopographical study of family firm executives 1762-2010,’ Business History, 57:7, 1112-32

Susanna Fellman (2014), ‘Prosopographic studies business leaders for understanding industrial and corporate change’, Business History, 56:1, 5-21

Claire Lemercier and Emmanuelle Picard (2012), ‘Quelle approche prosopographique?’, in            Laurent Rollet and Philippe Nabonnaud (eds), Les uns et les autres. Biographies et prosopographies en histoire des sciences, Nancy: Presses Universitaires de Nancy, 605-630

Organisation:

The workshop is initiated by the ERC funded research project EURECON: The Making of a Lopsided Union: Economic Integration in the European Economic Community, 1957-1992 led by Dr Emmanuel Mourlon-Druol (grant agreement No 716849). It is hosted by the European University Institute’s Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies.

Kontakt

Katie Wright

University of Glasgow

rso-admin-eurecon@glasgow.ac.uk