Resurgent Authoritarianism: The Sociology of New Entanglements of Religions, Politics, and Economies
Melbourne, Australia, June 25-July 1, 2023
Format: In-Person and Virtual | Time Zone: Melbourne local time (AEST)
The global rise of authoritarianism, as well as populism, xenophobia, and racism, makes our task as sociologists more crucial than ever. This dilemma is assisted by the gradual symbolic thickening of public culture through combinations of extreme nationalist and religious fervor.
What is the best way to analyze global resurgent authoritarianism? In addition to dealing with the scars of the colonial era, a postcolonial approach should be supplemented with another approach; we need to find ways to diagnose and resist this resurgence. This approach should take into account how authoritarianism affects not only our societies, but also our knowledge production. The self-centered and unspoken have become more important than the told and argued. We are concerned not only with the hard authoritarianism that heralds the brutalization of society and politics, but also the soft authoritarianism that often thrives in the shadow of neoliberalism, as the state moves deftly in the open or in secret to devise modes of governance that shore up its power against popular discontent.
A special interest of our Congress is how to disaggregate the Western, but also sociological, assumption of secularism as inherent in modern society and at the same time analytically dissociate the state from religion. While this separation is still a crucial pathway toward democracy and citizenship, the process needs to be problematized. We particularly look forward to discussing the promising avenues of inquiry within sociology and related disciplines about what have been termed ‘post-secular societies’ and ‘multiple secularities’.
Thus the XX ISA World Congress of Sociology will focus on how sociologists worldwide can (and do) contribute to the understanding of the resurgent authoritarianism and analyze the new entanglements of religions, politics, and economies. It will also focus on how sociologists engage (physically and critically) in the formidable social movements we are witnessing today in different parts of the world and in a renascent civil society.
The XX ISA World Congress of Sociology in Melbourne, Australia, June 25-July 1, 2023 will be in a hybrid format. While we strongly advise and encourage everyone to come to Melbourne and enjoy in-person participation in the Congress, on-line presentations will also be possible. Oral sessions will be a mix of in-person and virtual presenters, based on the presenters preference. For further details see: https://www.isa-sociology.org/en/conferences/world-congress/melbourne-2023/deadlines-2023
Sari Hanafi,
President of the International Sociological Association
Lígia Ferro, Vice-Presidente da Associação Portuguesa de Sociologia irá representar a APS neste congresso, evento global mais importante na nossa área, bem como nas reuniões do Council of National Associations.
Dear ISA members,
I am Dan Woodman, Chair of the Local Organising Committee (LOC) for the International Sociological Association’s XXth World Congress of Sociology, to be held in Melbourne, Australia, June 25-July 1, 2023, and hosted by The Australian Sociological Association (TASA). Abstract submission closes in a few days, on September 30, and before it does I want to encourage you all, if possible, to consider joining us in Melbourne for the face-to-face aspects of the Congress.
Melbourne is a vibrant city of arts, culture, and learning, with great food and coffee and great people. The LOC is putting together a social program and tour options to introduce you to all that Melbourne and surrounds have to offer. You will have a chance to explore the urban environment of Melbourne, to see the amazing natural beauty of the area and to meet the local animals (including kangaroos and koalas). We will also have tours and events to introduce you to the cultures of the Indigenous people of Melbourne (Melbourne is called Naarm in the Indigenous language of the Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung and Bunurong Boon Wurrung people of the Kulin nation, on whose lands we will be meeting).
To help you get the most out of your visit TASA has funded a series of pre-Congress events and workshops (details here). TASA, with the support of ISA, has also made bursaries available to support travel to Melbourne for PhD students and Early Career Scholars from B and C countries in the Asia-Pacific region (details here). We will have lots of hotel and hostel options for you, with shared dorm type accommodation starting at around $35USD per night.
We do hope we can introduce you our wonderful city in 2023. If you would like to hear more about our plans, about Melbourne and why we think you should come to join us for the Congress, please see the below videos of Brady Robards (from the LOC) in conversation with me and my LOC co-Convenor Jo Lindsay.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OAYFVroKiso (Dan and Brady)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w5KFRLRgR1U (Jo and Brady)Dan Woodman
(on behalf of the LOC)
Executive Officer
The Australian Sociological Association (TASA)
admin@tasa.org.au
www.tasa.org.au