Below you will find detailed information about the 84 thematic groups that will be held during the Congress.

We invite you to read their descriptions..

Name and surname of the applicant:
Andrzej Klimczuk SGH Warsaw School of Economics, Poland

Co-authors:
Grzegorz Gawron, PhD, University of Silesia, Poland,
Gražina Rapolienė, PhD, Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences, Institute of Sociology, Lithuania

Abstract:
The contemporary landscape of ageing policy is characterised by the convergence of multiple, overlapping crises—often conceptualised as a polycrisis—and intensifying social risks. Recent events, including the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, rising inflation, a cost-of-living crisis, and the Ukrainian refugee crisis, have underscored the fragility of established welfare states. Moreover, these conditions are combined with political polarisation and a “double transition” covering digital and green transformations. In Central and Eastern Europe, such pressures are particularly pronounced for older individuals, who often experience the cumulative effects of demographic shifts, fiscal constraints, and structural changes in social care and support systems. Addressing these complexities requires interdisciplinary studies grounded in sociology, economics, and social policy. We welcome contributions examining how evolving social, economic, and political conditions affect the quality of life of older adults and ageing populations. This thematic group is particularly interested in studies that highlight changes in family structures, innovations in social care, and the social economy’s and silver economy’s functions in fostering resilience among older populations and social inclusion. We invite empirical and theoretical contributions employing qualitative, quantitative, or mixed-methods research approaches. Papers may include the following topics but are not limited to:
– Reforms of welfare states and social protection frameworks focused on safeguarding older adults amidst the long-term effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, a persistent cost-of-living crisis, and the Ukrainian refugee crisis.
– Shifts in welfare state models, combined with the need to integrate refugees and other vulnerable groups as well as influence on the allocation of scarce resources and the prioritisation of policy interventions for ageing populations.
– Interactions between global, national, regional, and local entities in the development of ageing policies. Covering tools to mitigate social risks and enhance social inclusion among older cohorts, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe.
– Comparative studies examining policy responses to recent challenges combined with support for older adults and their families. – Changes in family structures and intergenerational relationships affecting the provision of informal care and public policies supporting families in caring for older relatives amid growing uncertainties.
– Social innovations in care and caregiving arrangements, particularly in regions experiencing in-depth demographic transformations such as depopulation.
– Scaling up of social innovations addressing the multifaceted challenges of older populations.
– The role of social economy and silver economy entities, including non-governmental organisations, cooperatives, and social enterprises, in the provision and co-production of social services for ageing populations.
– Recent developments in digital platforms, solutions based on smart technologies and artificial intelligence, and data-driven policy instruments aim to improve social care for older adults and foster active ageing, healthy ageing, and creative ageing.

Type of group:
Regularna

Name and surname of the applicant:
Artur Kościański Instytut Filozofii i Socjologii PAN

Co-authors:
Wojciech Misztal – Uniwersytet Warszawski
Piotr Weryński – Politechnika Śląska

Abstract:
In the face of contemporary global challenges—wars, climate change, and natural disasters—the concept of domesticated risk is becoming a crucial analytical tool in research on civil society. As Ulrich Beck observes in his theory of the risk society, threats have become ubiquitous and unpredictable, compelling societies to learn to coexist with them while simultaneously developing adaptive and protective mechanisms (social resilience, i.e., flexible resistance).

The primary objective of the thematic group discussions is to explore how various, broadly defined civil institutions respond to these threats. We place particular emphasis on the strategies employed by local and transnational civic actors in the process of risk domestication, which not only contribute to reducing the social costs of disasters but also shape new forms of solidarity and cooperation.

We remain open to a diversity of theoretical perspectives; however, we reference the works of authors such as Anthony Giddens (the consequences of modernity) and Manuel Castells (the network society), examining how shifting social dynamics facilitate networked mobilization in the context of global risks.

In recent years, various armed conflicts and increasingly frequent natural disasters have highlighted the dual nature of civil society: as an active agent responding to crises and as a space for potential tensions and conflicts. The key question is: how can resilient civic communities be formed that not only react to crises but also anticipate them? Within this group, we will attempt to integrate research on civic mobilization, crisis management, multidimensional reinforcement of civil institutions, and the integration of their environments by seeking a shared value system beyond divisions and fostering trust in situations of risk.

We invite researchers and practitioners to reflect on how civil society can become a transformative force in response to contemporary challenges while simultaneously redefining traditional concepts of solidarity, responsibility, and social justice.

Type of group:
regularna Sekcja społeczeństwa obywatelskiego PTS

Name and surname of the applicant:
Karolina Ciechorska-Kulesza Uniwersytet Gdański

Co-authors:
Tomasz Marcysiak (Uniwersytet WSB Merito w Toruniu)

As a result of the agreements made at Yalta and Potsdam in 1945, territorial reconfigurations took place in Central and Eastern Europe. Poland lost the territories in the east of the country, the so-called Eastern Borderlands, gaining in return the areas lying within the borders of Germany until 1945. Then began a great socio-cultural and political and economic experiment in integrating the incorporated lands. Millions of new residents, displaced persons from lands lost in the east, and settlers looking for a new life settled in the areas that their previous inhabitants (Germans and indigenous peoples) had been forced to leave. The formation of new local and regional communities, attempts to cope with the existing cultural heritage, the reconstruction and management of the economy of the Western and Northern Lands (hereinafter ZZiP), as well as the ideological and political activity of the authorities of the Polish state aimed at legitimizing the acquisition of the territories of another state, became the subject of intensive sociological research, resulting in the formation of a peculiar sociology of the Western and Northern Lands of Poland. Researchers and scholars have observed and described 80 years of integration of these lands with the rest of Poland. This raises the question of whether the time indicated, in which at least four generations have already entered adulthood, has not the area described here become so similar to the rest of the country that the research format indicating its uniqueness has been run out? Have the ZZIP become tamed enough to become familiar, and does life in them not carry the risks and uncertainties that are derived from the inclusion of these regions in 1945?

In our opinion, the taming of the seemingly tame Western and Northern Territories of Poland continues in many dimensions, making it legitimate to undertake sociological (though not only) reflections on the phenomenon mentioned here. This is because in the areas referred to here local and regional identities are being formed, constructed and deconstructed all the time, built from cultural material that is a creative synthesis of what has been found (post-German) and what has been brought here (Eastern Borderlands, Greater Poland, Lesser Poland, Ukraine and others). Residents of the indicated regions take the risk of taming the dissonant cultural heritage left to them by history. They also bear the burden of economic consequences that are a derivative of the economic model used before 1945 in the lands they inhabit. We would like to reflect on the phenomenon of the ZZIP, look at the phenomena indicated above, reflect on the achievements of sociology in this area. We also want to confront the voices that sometimes appear saying that the sociology of the ZZIP has exhausted its heuristic potential, for it has lost the object of its inquiry. The 80th anniversary of the annexation of these lands to Poland provides an excellent opportunity for this.

Proposed areas of discussion:

– Integration of the ZZIP – 1945 – 2025: social history of the regions,

– local and regional identities on the ZZiP,

– Cultural heritage of the ZZiP – difficult and tamed,

– regionalisms of the ZZiP,

– national and ethnic minorities on the ZZiP,

– civil society on the ZZiP,

– socio-economic peculiarities of the ZZiP,

– memory of and on the ZZiP, commemoration practices (on) the ZZiP. 

Type of group:
regular

Name and surname of the applicant:
Emilia Kramkowska Uniwersytet w Białymstoku

Co-authors:
dr hab. Monika D. Adamczyk, prof. KUL (Katolicki Uniwersytet Lubelski)
dr hab. Maria Łuszczyńska, prof. UEK (Uniwersytet Ekonomiczny w Krakowie)

Abstract:
The process of population ageing represents a major contemporary challenge, extending beyond the scope of conventional demographic concerns. This process impacts numerous facets of life, including the economy, culture, public space, and intergenerational relations. Consequently, it is imperative to adopt a multifaceted approach to the study of ageing, encompassing not only the domains of health and economics, but also psychology, technology, urban planning and the environment. A multidimensional approach facilitates the discernment of less obvious consequences of this phenomenon and the creation of innovative solutions that meet the needs of an ageing society. The challenges posed by this transformation encompass changes in family structures, shortages of specialised social services, the digitalisation of everyday life, and the need to adapt the labour market to the capabilities of older people. Questions concerning intergenerational relations, the involvement of older individuals in culture, education and civic life, and their impact on the formulation of public policies, are also gaining relevance.

The objective of the session is to convene academics and researchers to disseminate the findings of the most recent research on the sociology of ageing and old age in the broadest sense. The objective of this session is to establish a forum for substantive debate that will not only enhance our understanding of these issues but also contribute to the development of effective strategies to address the needs of an ageing population.

The following topics will be addressed:

  • public perceptions of older people in the age of technology and pandemics – the impact of social media, digital technologies and the COVID-19 pandemic on public perceptions of older people;
  • new stereotypes of old age – updating the topic with new stereotypes of active senior lifestyles (‘senior explorers’, ‘senior innovators’) and the phenomenon of ageism in the workplace or popular culture
  • intergenerational relations in the digital age – analysis of the impact of globalisation, migration and digitalisation on family relations and the quality of intergenerational support; the role of new forms of communication in building intergenerational ties
  • health and well-being of older people in the context of medical innovation – the role of telemedicine, health apps and access to healthcare in the context of an ageing population;
  • Poland and the ‘Blue Zones’ concept – local strategies to foster longevity, e.g. promoting physical activity, healthy nutrition and mental support for older people;
  • digital exclusion and loneliness – challenges of digital exclusion of older people; support for digital education of older people as a tool to counteract social isolation;
  • inclusive public spaces and smart cities – digital public services adapted to the needs of older people; smart city technologies to improve the quality of life of older persons
  • the silver economy as an opportunity for social and economic development, which includes the analysis of the economic potential arising from the professional, social and consumer activity of older people as well as the proposal of strategies to support the entrepreneurship of older people and services adapted to the ageing population
  • older people as active citizens encompasses the forms of social involvement of older people, senior citizens’ movements and the shaping of public policy
  • cultural diversity in ageing –  new perspectives on ageing among ethnic minorities and immigrants and their specific health, social and cultural challenges

The purpose of this invitation is to engage in collective reflection on effective preparation for the intricate scenarios that are arising from demographic change. In the subsequent session, we will be taking steps to establish a dedicated section within the PTS, focusing on the Sociology of Old Age. Furthermore, the organisers intend to prepare a special issue of a high-scoring journal containing the best articles based on the session contributions. Further details will be provided in due course.

Type of group:
regularna międzyośrodkowa

Name and surname of the applicant:
Piotr Jabkowski Wydział Socjologii, Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu

Co-authors:
Henryk Domański; Instytut Filozofii i Socjologii PAN Warszawa

Abstract:
The increasing diversity of sociological research (both academic and commercial) is prompting methodological reflection on the quality of such research and the consequences of implementing different fieldwork procedures within the research process. In quantitative research, there is a growing interest in new techniques for collecting, processing and analysing data in response to the increasing amount and variety of information available. These challenges were further amplified during the COVID-19 pandemic when restrictions on social interaction contributed to the rise in popularity of online surveys, internet panels and other self-administered forms of data collection while simultaneously revealing new methodological challenges related to data reliability, quality and comparability.

In response to these changes in data collection modes and existing data processing, social research increasingly uses advanced solutions based on artificial intelligence (AI). Machine learning algorithms are increasingly used to support the sampling process, predict the likelihood of refusal, and implement appropriate strategies to encourage participation (e.g., personalised invitations, incentives, or tailored motivational content). As a result, new weighting techniques and error-reduction methods are becoming increasingly important.

Another key area of rapid development in analytical techniques based on machine learning is natural language processing (NLP). NLP solutions enable the automatic analysis of vast sets of texts using probabilistic methods. Thanks to language-processing algorithms, topic-modeling methods (including those based on the recent BERTopic paradigm), and sentiment analysis, researchers can uncover both the dominant themes and subtle nuances of public sentiment. These techniques perfectly complement traditional social methods, enhancing the credibility of findings and enabling the analysis of cultural or social contexts.

However, new data-collection procedures and the analysis of immense informational resources also raise questions regarding data quality and the ethical aspects of research. In the context of large datasets (so-called big data), robust control procedures are essential for ensuring information’s reliability and validity. At the same time, big data analysis requires consideration of potential systematic errors, such as the uneven representation of social groups in data gathered from the internet. These issues become even more crucial in international research, where cultural context, varied sampling methods, and the standardisation of field procedures must be considered.

We propose focusing on various aspects of improving measurement methodology, encompassing both the preparation and implementation of field research as well as the development of the resulting data:

  1. International comparative research
  2. Research techniques in a changing social reality
  3. Problems and challenges in survey research
  4. Measurement scales and questionnaire construction
  5. Measurement errors in survey research
  6. Interviewer effects and the interview context
  7. Data processing – weighting and imputation
  8. Analytical procedures and techniques
  9. Use of complementary databases
  10. Analysis of large text corpora
  11. Quantitative analyses of big data

Type of group:
regularna międzyośrodkowa

Name and surname of the applicant:
Elżbieta Opiłowska, Uniwersytet Wrocławski

Co-authors:
Bieńkowska Małgorzata, Uniwersytet w Białymstoku

Abstract:
In recent times, borders and borderlands have become the spotlight of academic and public discourse. However, this is not due to the vanishing of borders as dividing lines, as was the case at the beginning of the 21st century, but to strengthening the role and power of bordering practices. Multiple crises such as the rise of Euroscepticism, Brexit, the age of migration, the Covid-19 pandemic, the humanitarian crises on many European borders, and the war in Ukraine have transformed European borderlands from ‘living labs of European integration’ into buffer zones that should protect/guard the European space of privilege. The overlapping, intertwined crisis events have led to parallel processes of physical (securitised new walls and fences) and social re-bordering (migrantisation and racialisation of people) and have captured the attention of many politicians and societies. Beyond the simple dichotomy of securitisation vs. humanitarianism, bordering and de-bordering processes intersect and shape each other. This thematic group aims to address recent developments at geographical and social border(lands) that reveal (new) processes of entangled inclusion/exclusion from different angles. We invite contributions that present new theoretical approaches and methodologies to exploring border(lands) and empirical studies that capture recent transformations, new phenomena and social processes at different European borderlands.

Type of group:
regularna międzyośrodkowa

Name and surname of the applicant:
Łukasz Drozda Uniwersytet Warszawski

Co-authors:
Marta Jaskulska – Uniwersytet Kazimierza Wielkiego w Bydgoszczy
Marek Nowak (Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu)

Abstract:
Contemporary cities and other broadly understood urban areas attract particular interest from the perspectives of sociology and urban studies as spaces where social movements contribute to the development of local democracy and introduce specific issues into public discourse. Urban movements responsible for these activities are often co-created by individuals from Academia who implement postulates characteristic of the vision of engagement in the sense of public sociology. These initiatives, drawing on concepts such as the right to the city or urban citizenship, promote issues related to sustainable transportation, green infrastructure, affordable housing, civic participation, and effective, socially just spatial planning.

Although many of these ideas have been gradually adopted by mainstream political forces, new phenomena of entirely different origins are reshaping contemporary urbanity. The consequences of the climate crisis, the social costs of the COVID-19 pandemic, and geographically uneven development are becoming increasingly evident, highlighting the scale of the current polycrisis. Social polarization is intensifying, urban populism is spreading, and conspiracy theories are becoming more and more popular, expanding the scope of non-governmental activity. For instance, the concept of 15-minute cities, designed to improve urban quality of life by strengthening localism and polycentricity has become the target of attacks, framed as a vision of totalitarian oppression that allegedly creates imaginary “open-air prisons” restricting residents’ mobility.

This thematic group aims to initiate a discussion on forms of social self-organization in urbanized areas in the context of the polycrisis. We seek to explore how various forms of urban self-organization (NGOs, local communities, etc.) respond to changing conditions and adapt to crisis scenarios, where active players in public space include not only progressive urban movements but also populist, extremist, and climate denialist movements.

As part of the thematic group of the Section of Urban Sociology, we invite abstracts submission addressing the following topics:

  • The position of urban activism in the context of social polarization and the crisis of liberal democracy.
  • The evolution of urban movements in recent years;
  • The transformation of the “right to the city” as a framework concept for urban activism in Poland and abroad;
  • Urban conflict and the emergence of backlash movements and urban populism;
  • Case studies on the condition of urban movements in the context of contemporary challenges;
  • Institutional and organizational tensions between local authorities, urban communities, and urban movements;
  • Relations between business and urban activism;
  • Case studies of backlash movements in the context of specific urban conditions;
  • Forms of horizontal collaboration among movements and tensions in the creation of umbrella structures based on organizational experiences;

Type of group:
Grupa sekcji PTS Sekcja Socjologii Miasta regularna, międzyośrodkowa

Name and surname of the applicant:
Marek Krajewski Wydział Socjologii, Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu;

Co-authors:
dr. hab. Mikołaj Lewicki , Wydział Socjologii UW w Warszawie

Abstract:
The processes of participation in culture have been undergoing dynamic changes in recent decades, driven not only by technological transformations and democratization of access to culture but also by transformations in how these practices are rooted in the everyday lives of individuals, their social meanings, rhythms and rules. Such changes, unfortunately, are not followed by transformations of models for studying the processes of cultural participation. They often examine the frequency with which individuals carry out various cultural practices and what kind of cultural goods they consume. Attempts to modernize this type of research usually involve making new cultural practices or technologies of cultural use the subject of analysis, incorporating new sources of information (such as visual data), using more advanced statistical analysis methods, or segmenting audiences.

The problem is all the more significant because analyses of this kind are not only cognitive but are one of the few places where sociological knowledge becomes an important instrument of public policies, including cultural policy, programming of activities of cultural institutions (theatres, cinemas, cultural centres, etc.) or social policies, especially those of an equality nature. These surveys also consume extensive public resources, as they are conducted by central institutions (such as the CSO), national cultural institutions (such as the NCK), local governments or local cultural entities. This raises the question of whether the lack of reference and use of the diagnoses is not related to the lack of context for the data, their embedding in everyday life and not just cultural practices. 

Thus, there is a definite lack of theoretical concepts that would create innovative frameworks for understanding the dynamically changing processes of cultural participation, but also a lack of new research programs capable of grasping the motives for cultural participation, the reasons for undertaking particular cultural practices, the roles they play in the daily lives of individuals, their importance in the processes of creating bonds, sustaining social relations, or reproducing inequalities and barriers separating diverse social categories. What is lacking is what can be called contextual studies of cultural participation, that is, analyses that allow us to understand the meanings of this process, how it is rooted in the lives of individuals and collectivities, the changes that occur in the processes of cultural participation, their location and role in the social world. From this perspective, there is also the question of whether communication technologies (especially the so-called new media can be considered an important context for participation in research or as a key component.)

To participate in our thematic group, we invite all those interested in developing the study of cultural participation, especially in a way that proposes new theoretical concepts and models of analysis, allows us to grasp the place of cultural participation in the everyday life of individuals, the role it plays in creating and sustaining social relations, the contexts in which it takes place, the transformations of this process occurring under the influence of social and technological changes.

Type of group:
regular inter-centre

Name and surname of the applicant:
Dominika Byczkowska-Owczarek Instytut Socjologii Uniwersytet Łódzki

Co-authors:
Dr hab. Ewa Banaszak, prof. Uwr; Uniwersytet Wrocławski;
Dr Katarzyna Kowal; Uniwersytet Jana Długosza w Częstochowie

Abstract:
Sociology of the body is a sub-discipline that has been developing rapidly in Poland in the last two decades. Many articles and monographs have been published on the body concerning illness, health, sexuality, gender, work, food or sports. Issues from the sociology of the body also appear in topics considered traditionally sociological, such as class, religion and politics. Increasing attention is also being paid to the cultural, social and interactional aspects of human corporeality in related disciplines, such as pedagogy, psychology, anthropology, or philosophy. 

During the meeting of the thematic group, we want to address various social aspects of corporeality. We invite those who are academically concerned with issues of experiencing, perceiving, acting, using, transforming or performing corporeality in various contexts. We are particularly interested in presentations of the results of empirical studies, as well as of social areas hitherto unexplored or rarely researched, and showing interdisciplinary research. At the same time, we would like to discuss the theoretical concepts, existing or created as a result of this research, which allow us to go beyond specific research and factual theories.

We are open to the variety of theoretical and methodological perspectives currently used to analyze the status of the body in society – from the body as a biological entity to social constructivist approaches that treat the body as a product of society and its culture. Submissions can address different levels of social life: from the macro scale (e.g., social inequality, global problems), through the meso (e.g., family, peer group, work group) to the micro (e.g., interactional orders, bodily practices, identities).

We hope that the thematic group, structured in this way, will contribute to the development and strengthening of the body sociology output and will become an opportunity to integrate the community of sociologists and sociologists of the body.  

Type of group:
Grupa sekcji socjologii ciała; regularna Propozycja grupy tematycznej została zaakceptowana przez Zarząd Sekcji Socjologii Ciała PTS

Name and surname of the applicant:
Kalina Kukiełko Instytut Socjologii, Uniwersytet Szczeciński

Co-authors:
Aldona Guzik, Instytut Socjologii, Uniwersytet Komisji Edukacji Narodowej w Krakowie;
Urszula Jarecka, Instytut Filozofii i Socjologii PAN;
Paulina Rojek-Adamek, Instytut Socjologii, Uniwersytet Komisji Edukacji Narodowej w Krakowie

Abstract:
Contemporary fashion is not only a mirror of society but also a driving force of change, shaping the culture, the economy, and the environment. Thanks to its ability to adapt and anticipate cultural and social trends, it remains one of the most dynamic and significant phenomena of the modern world.

In the face of challenges related to ecology, migration, gender diversity, and growing ethical awareness among consumers, fashion is no longer just a form of aesthetic expression. It is becoming a tool for social communication, a manifestation of values, and a space where issues of identity and social justice are negotiated.

The aim of the proposed thematic group is to reflect interdisciplinarity on how fashion – through the processes of dressing, designing, production, and consumption – can respond to contemporary challenges and social risks. We want to pay special attention to the role of fashion in shaping identities, both individual and collective, especially in the context of increasing pressure for sustainable consumption. We are interested in how various fashion mechanisms, such as rapidly changing trends or the development of fast fashion, affect consumer attitudes and what social and ecological consequences they bring. An important aspect of our considerations will also be the analysis of the “sins of consumption,” including overproduction, exploitation of natural resources, and pollution generated by the fashion industry. As part of the discussion, we also want to look at the possibilities of sustainable development in fashion, analyzing alternative production models, such as slow fashion, and examining ways for designers, producers, and consumers to collaborate in creating more responsible and ecological solutions.

Fashion is a multidimensional phenomenon. Therefore, we propose to discuss the following issues in this thematic group:

  • Fashion and identity: What are the contemporary trends in fashion; following trends or expressing one’s individuality? Are we fashion nomads?
  • Fashion and communication: What do designers communicate through fashion, what do clients and consumers communicate, and what does the fashion industry and media communicate?
  • Sustainable fashion: What are the social consequences of transitioning to sustainable practices in the fashion industry? How are consumer attitudes towards fast fashion changing and what strategies are brands adopting to meet ecological expectations?
  • Fashion and gender: How does fashion influence the redefinition of gender and gender norms? What is the significance of gender-neutral fashion and how does it support equality movements?
  • Fashion divides / unites generations: How do generational preferences differentiate in aging Western societies? Is generational style an observable phenomenon or merely a prejudice/illusion? Who gives up on fashion?
  • Fashion and ecology: How is the fashion industry responding to the climate crisis? How does the growing popularity of organic materials and recycling technologies affect social and economic structures?
  • Fashion and migration: How do cultural influences resulting from migration shape fashion trends? How can fashion become a space for inclusivity or a tool for exclusion?
  • Fashion as a tool for social change: How do advertising campaigns, artistic projects, and activist movements use fashion to promote ideas of equality, justice, and social responsibility?
  • Technologies in fashion: the importance of technological innovations in shaping modern practices of clothing production, recycling, and distribution.
  • Fashion and power: fashion can be a tool for controlling individuals and social groups, a symbol of status or identity, reflecting relations of social, cultural, and economic power within society.

The session aims to create an interdisciplinary space for discussion, connecting sociology with research on culture, ecology, economics, and technology. Through the analysis of contemporary trends and challenges related to fashion, we want to inspire reflection on its role as a social tool that transcends the boundaries of aesthetics.

Proposed presentation formats:

Presentations of research and artistic-activist projects

Theoretical and empirical papers

Case analyses and field studies

Type of group:
regularna międzyośrodkowa

Name and surname of the applicant:
Agnieszka Kolasa-Nowak Instytut Socjologii UMCS Lublin

Co-authors:
Joannę Wyleżałek, Szkoła Główna Gospodarstwa Wiejskiego, Warszawa.

Abstract:
Science functions as a social system subject to all the trends of modernity. It is being profoundly changed by the commercialization, corporatization and parameterization, which take different forms in different points of the global academic space. Scientific institutions must also cope with increasingly dense and non-obvious networks of relations with the political field, the public sphere and business.
Also higher education is subject to changes as a consequence of the massification and inflation of higher education. Additionally, in Poland, an important factor is the frequent changes in the rules of functioning of science and universities, resulting from the politicization of their management.
We want to encourage discussion about how people adapt to these changes, how science policies affect the strategies of scientists and universities. We are interested in different ways of building scientific careers, recruitment paths to the academy, the social position of academics, new inequalities and the problem of multipositionality. Indirectly, this is related to the problem of various social circulations of scientific knowledge, including expert knowledge and activism. The framework for these considerations is the peripheral position of Polish science in the global division of scientific labor.

Type of group:
regularna Grupa Sekcji Socjologii Nauki

Name and surname of the applicant:
Alicja Zawistowska Wydział Socjologii Uniwersytet w Białymstoku

Co-authors:
Michał Sitek, Instytut Badań Edukacyjnych Państwowy Instytut Badawczy
Michał Jerzy Gulczyński, Europejski Instytut Uniwersytecki, Florencja

Abstract:
Research indicates that boys often perform worse than girls across various school subjects, exhibit more negative attitudes toward school and learning, and face a higher risk of dropping out. This session aims to explore the underlying causes of these phenomena and their multidimensional consequences—both for students’ academic achievements and for the education system as a whole. We welcome presentations that examine the cultural and structural factors shaping boys’ educational experiences, particularly those influenced by stereotypes and socialization.

We seek to analyze boys’ social functioning within the school environment and consider how their relationships with peers, teachers, and educators shape their attitudes toward school and academic performance. Additionally, we encourage contributions that propose interventions and pedagogical strategies to enhance boys’ engagement and success in school. Our goal is to create a platform for discussing necessary reforms in educational policies and practices to foster a more equitable and effective education system that meets the needs of all students, regardless of gender.

We invite submissions addressing the following questions:
– What factors contribute to boys’ lower academic performance in certain subjects compared to girls?
– How do social norms and models of masculinity influence boys’ school-related challenges?
– In what ways do parental educational aspirations and expectations shape boys’ academic achievements and educational choices?
– Are schools adequately equipped to support boys who experience behavioral difficulties?
– To what extent are gender differences in academic outcomes shaped by the interaction between biological, structural, and socio-cultural factors?
– What are the underlying reasons for boys’ higher dropout rates?
– How do boys’ and girls’ attitudes toward school differ among students with low academic achievement?
– How do differences between schools and educational pathways contribute to disparities in achievement and attitudes?
– Does the grading and assessment system ensure gender equity in evaluating students’ performance?

Type of group:
Grupa międzyośrodkowa

Name and surname of the applicant:
Mikołaj Pawlak Uniwersytet Warszawski

Co-authors:
Ireneusz Sadowski, Instytut Studiów Politycznych PAN

Since the popularization of the Humboldt model of the university, the social fields of individual scientific disciplines have been a space of dispute over the criteria of what is scientific and the boundaries of what is considered scientific (Bourdieu, 1988). Currently, in science we observe processes of progressive proceduralization and quantification of quality measurement (Musselin, 2018). Universities are developing and fragmenting their organizational structures (Krücken & Meier, 2006), which leads to tensions between the faculty and the administrative and management staff. At the same time, in countries such as Poland, where science and higher education operate in a state model, for many years there has been an increasing emphasis from the social, political and economic environment on the accountability of the activities of institutions and researchers. Relations between individual researchers, research teams and entire universities are increasingly seen in terms of competition (Krücken, 2021), in which such reference measures as international rankings, citation indices, results of evaluation procedures or amounts awarded in grant competitions are used. Additionally, science policy is undergoing the phenomenon of routinization of reform (Brunsson, 2009). The progress of these processes is also well documented in Poland. In some interpretations, they are perceived as a negative manifestation of neoliberalism creating the so-called “dark academy” (Fleming, 2021), while in other interpretations, positive features are seen, such as a reduction in academic feudalism, stronger internationalization of research, greater transparency and openness to the environment, as well as its accountability to taxpayers (Kwiek 2010, 2012; Antonowicz 2015).

We invite the submission of papers presenting research results on the institutional conditions of doing science. We are interested in papers on the creation of institutional rules, their consequences for the conduct of scientists, conflicts between different orders of academic norms, as well as attempts to play with these rules. We are interested in looking at the Polish institutional context of doing science, but going beyond the framework of local exceptionalism is also welcome. The same applies to the issue of disciplinary boundaries – focusing on sociology can be exciting, while broadening the perspective may allow for going beyond the sociological egocentrism. Papers may also present various theoretical and methodological approaches, while in case of types of empirical sources – those other than personal experience will be particularly welcome.

Type of group:
regular inter-centre

Name and surname of the applicant:
Piotr Żuk University of Helsinki
e-mail: piotr.zuk@helsinki.fi

Co-authors:
Dobrosława Wiktor-Mach Uniwersytet Ekonomiczny w Krakowie

Abstract:
Local, regional or global ecological crises are not only a product of contemporary technologies, as popular knowledge and the media often suggest, but are primarily a social construct. They are generated by specific political systems, socio-economic formations, production models and power relations. In other words, each ecological crisis and attempts to solve it can be described using the language of social conflicts: the struggle for environmental, economic and political resources; the relations between the global core, periphery and semi-periphery countries; power relations in society; new forms of capital accumulation; the colonisation of the natural world by specific socio-economic formations or – using Habermas’s language – the constant tension between the ‘lifeworld’ and ‘the system.’ From this perspective, ecological conflicts can be analysed in both the cultural dimension, as a competition between different types of values ​​and cultural models, and the structural dimension, where different positions in the social structure and related economic interests shape different attitudes towards the environment, natural resources, market logic and state policy. The concepts of environmental justice, green colonialism and various attempts to conceptualize our era, such as the Capitalocene and Plantationocene, have become important frameworks for contemporary discussions in this area. If we assume that the exploitation of natural resources and the exploitation of human resources in the contemporary world follow a similar logic, it is difficult to perceive ecological challenges solely as biological, natural or technical challenges. From this perspective, the ecological crisis appears primarily as a social, political and economic crisis.

We encourage you to submit both theoretical articles that deal with the outlined issues, as well as empirical papers that present the results of research on ecological conflicts and their social determinants.

Type of group:
Grupa Sekcji Socjologii środowiska regularna

Name and surname of the applicant:
Anna Szwed (Instytut Socjologii Uniwersytetu Jagiellońskiego)

Co-authors:
Agata Rejowska (Instytut Filozofii i Socjologii PAN)

Abstract:
For years, Poland has been identified as an example of a highly religious society in which the role of Catholicism and the Roman Catholic Church was not limited to the religious field, but where religion was also an important element of culture, shaped the understanding of the nation, and provided resources for building civil society.  In recent years, however, discussions about the place and role of Catholicism and the Roman Catholic Church in Polish social life, in both its public and private dimensions, have taken on a new dynamic. ‘Black protests’ in response to the tightening of abortion laws in Poland, the largest civic mobilisation since the Solidarity movement, have at the same time created an opportunity for the articulation of secular claims and criticism of the Church. In the recent parliamentary elections, not only left-wing parties, but also those from the political centre (PO, Poland 2050) included in their postulates the issue of redefining the relationship between the state and the Church. The need to discuss the social role of Catholicism and the involvement of the Church in public life has also emerged within religious circles (e.g. the Reclaim Our Church initiative or the Congress of Catholics). The broader context for the above-mentioned phenomena is the transformation of the religiosity of Polish society. The most recent census recorded an all-time record decline in identification with Roman Catholicism. Young people in particular are becoming less and less religious, which is evidenced not only by the rates of attendance at Sunday mass or declarations of faith, but also by declining participation in religion (i.e. Catholic catechism) classes at school. As shown by CBOS surveys, the Roman Catholic Church enjoys relatively lower social trust than before, and its involvement in the political sphere and influence on lawmaking are evaluated critically. All these processes raise the question of how the relations between religion (in particular: Catholicism and the Roman Catholic Church as an institution), the state and society are currently (re)defined.

This thematic group is open to papers discussing, but not limited to, issues such as: 

  • Catholicism as a cultural religion and attempts to redefine Polish identity 
  • established and changing forms of the presence of religion in the public sphere in Poland 
  • the impact of secularisation processes on the role of the Church in social life in Poland 
  • initiatives aimed at renegotiation of the relationship between state and Church and the current involvement of the Church in the public sphere 
  • relations of the Church with political parties and its influence on politics and lawmaking 
  •  religion and human rights: the rights of women, religious, national, ethnic and sexual minorities 

Type of group:
regularna międzyośrodkowa

Name and surname of the applicant:
Aneta Ostaszewska Uniwersytet Warszawski

Co-authors:
Justyna Tomczyk, UKEN w Krakowie Patrycja Sosnowska-Buxton, Uniwersytet w Stavanger, Norwegia

Domestic violence remains an insufficiently explored and under-researched social problem and attempts at interpretation and sociological analysis are often questioned. Stereotypes about domestic violence continue to be uncritically reproduced in public discourse and the media. As a social phenomenon, such violence stems from centuries of societal toleration of the misuse of power and/or authority and hurting one’s family members, particularly women and children (both boys and girls).

Looking at the statistics: police data shows that more than 62,000 ‘Blue Cards’ were issued in 2023, and nearly 34,000 investigations related to domestic violence were initiated. The number of perpetrators detained increased compared to the previous year, exceeding 18,000. In terms of those experiencing domestic violence, the total number exceeded 77,000, with over 50,000 being women. However, domestic violence is a much larger problem than these official figures suggest – the full scale of the problem is impossible to estimate because not all cases are reported. Women’s organisations, such as Feminoteka and the Centre for Women’s Rights (CPK), estimate that more than 800,000 people experience violence each year. In 2014, the Centre for Women’s Rights published a report indicating that 400 to 500 cases of femicide occur annually as a result of domestic violence. More than a decade has passed since then, yet these figures remain the only data available in Poland in 2025 regarding fatal domestic violence cases.

The proposed working group builds on the issues of domestic violence raised by Dr Iwona Zielińska-Poćwiardowska during the 2022 Polish Sociological Association (PTS) Congress and seeks to further sociological analysis of the current state of research and scholarly reflection on domestic violence in Poland. Existing studies – although very limited – often reinforce narratives that blame victims or attribute responsibility for their suffering. By addressing these issues, the group aims to create a space for presenting and discussing current analyses, with particular attention to cultural factors, including taboo topics. The objectives of the group are:

  • To discuss and analyse cultural and social (including structural) factors that reinforce domestic violence (including gender-based violence);
  • To critically evaluate the enforcement of domestic violence laws, focusing on the lack of full implementation of legal obligations under instruments such as the Istanbul Convention;
  • To promote sociological research that addresses the structural conditions underpinning domestic violence.

We invite researchers working on issues related to violence, family, gender, and intimate relationships – as well as those interested in the sociology of domestic violence – to present their research findings and theoretical frameworks.

Thematic scope of the group includes, but is not limited to:

  • Sociological and interdisciplinary perspectives on domestic violence
  • Domestic violence against women
  • Domestic violence against men
  • Violence against children
  • Violence against older adults
  • Violence against people with disabilities
  • Domestic violence against LGBTQ+ individuals
  • Domestic violence in heterosexual and same-sex relationships
  • Domestic violence within ethnic and national minorities, including violence based on ethnic or national origin
  • Intersectional approaches to the study of domestic violence
  • Domestic violence in the context of social media
  • Media representations of domestic violence
  • Support systems for victims – police, healthcare, social services, and NGOs
  • Educational and public campaigns addressing social attitudes towards domestic violence
  • Trajectories of domestic violence in life histories
  • Individual and social consequences of domestic violence
  • Barriers to seeking help and enforcing legal protections

Type of group:
regularna, międzyośrodkowa

Name and surname of the applicant:
Izabela Ślęzak Uniwersytet Łódzki,

Co-authors:
Bogna Kietlińska Uniwersytet Warszawski

Abstract:
We invite scholars to contribute to a thematic group focused on qualitative and interpretative research that examines the complexity of marginalized individuals’ everyday experiences, with particular attention to gender, violence, and stigmatization. The aim of the group is to understand how structural inequalities and internalized gender norms shape individuals’ lives and how they are negotiated and reinterpreted within daily social interactions. We also seek to examine how power is reproduced, challenged, or transformed in interpersonal and institutional relationships.

This group provides a space for critical, interdisciplinary discussions on theories, methodologies, and empirical research findings, as well as reflections on ethical research challenges. We are particularly interested in investigating subtle, often invisible interactional dynamics that reveal hidden mechanisms of inequality, resistance, and social transformation.

Session Goal:

The group aims to critically analyze the everyday dynamics of inequality in their interactional dimension. We encourage submissions that present empirical research findings, as well as theoretical, methodological, and ethical reflections related to the study of gender, violence, and stigmatization in daily relationships and social interactions.

Examples of Discussion Areas:

• Processes of Stigmatization and Strategies of Resistance in Interactions

What social mechanisms reinforce stigmatization in everyday interactions? How do marginalized individuals negotiate their place in society, developing strategies of resistance and destigmatization in their relationships with others?

• Power in Social and Institutional Interactions

How do power dynamics manifest in daily interactions within institutions such as schools, workplaces, or NGOs? How are gender norms reproduced, negotiated, or challenged by individuals and groups in these spaces?

• Interactions and Symbolic Violence

How does symbolic violence emerge in interpersonal and institutional interactions? How do individuals affected by violence cope with its effects in the context of everyday relationships?

• Gender in the Everyday Interactions of Marginalized Groups

How do gender norms shape the daily experiences of groups such as LGBTQ+ individuals, migrant women, sex workers, or people experiencing violence? How are social and gender roles reconstructed in everyday interpersonal contacts?

• Narratives of Violence

How do individuals experiencing violence construct their experiences in narratives? How do everyday interactions influence these stories, and what role do cultural interpretative frameworks play in them?

• Intersectionality in Interactional Contexts

How do different axes of identity (gender, class, race, sexual orientation) intersect in everyday relationships, shaping specific experiences of exclusion and coping strategies?

• Qualitative Methods in Research on Sensitive Topics

What research methods best capture the complexity of interactional dynamics related to violence, stigmatization, and resistance? We are particularly interested in approaches such as ethnography, conversation analysis, autoethnography, as well as visual and participatory research.

• The Role of the Researcher

How do factors such as the researcher’s gender, age, or class influence their presence in the field and the way research participants respond? How can researchers avoid reproducing oppression and inequality in research interactions?

• Sensitive Topics and Ethics

How can researchers study violence, stigmatization, and inequalities in their everyday, interactional dimension while ensuring ethical standards and participant safety?

• Interactional Dynamics in Research Teams

How does diversity within research teams impact the dynamics of collaboration and research outcomes? What challenges and benefits arise from working in teams with diverse cultural, gender, and class backgrounds?

Type of group:
grupa międzysekcyjna Sekcja Socjologii Jakościowej i Symbolicznego Interakcjonizmu oraz Sekcja Socjologii Płci

Name and surname of the applicant:
Paweł Kubicki Uniwersytet Jagielloński

Co-authors:
Marek Nowak, Uniwersytet im. A. Mickiewicza;
Michał Nowosielski Uniwersytet WSB Merito Gdańsk;
Marcin Gońda Centrum Studiów Migracyjnych Uniwersytetu Łódzkiego

Abstract:
In 2016 (almost a decade ago), the so-called “migration transition” took place. As a result of it, Poland for the first time in its modern history received more immigrants than it sent its citizens to emigrate. This phenomenon, has occurred most intensively in cities, especially major metropolises. Due to the fact that we are dealing with a relatively new phenomenon, its impact on urban development has not yet been fully studied or even recognized. Therefore, in some respects, we can speak about “latent globalization” of Polish cities, also because, that as a result of historical processes Polish cities were/are perceived as peripheries of the world system, being the object of global processes rather than the subject of such phenomena.

The continuous economic growth for the past 30 years and, following 20 years of EU membership, have significantly changed the situation. A significant improvement in the quality of life has led to a growing population of foreigners settling in cities and becoming subjects of bottom-up globalization.

The phenomena of co-presence of foreigners, evolution of lifestyles, which are now proceeding rather bottom-up (in addition to the well-known processes of top-down imitative modernization), have generated “new” social tensions and the quest for new collective identities (new residents, urban citizenship, etc.), parallel to the individual strategies accompanying the processes of anchoring and embedding immigrants.

The goal of the thematic group is to review the state of the art on a Polish and/or Central European globalizing city. We are looking for papers that specifically focus on the following topics:

– An analysis of whether and how migrants are changing Polish cities;

– An analysis of urban integration policies and their impact on urban development;

– An analysis of the implications of the migration transition, such as: (i) depopulation of cities, (ii) aging of urban communities, (iii) the co-presence of the global context in local discourse, (iv) lifestyle changes under the influence of migrant communities, and (v) the consequences of the co-presence of foreigners on the collective identity of urban communities, (vi) the development of backlash social movements and new (multicultural) spatial conflicts and anti-migration attitudes.  

Type of group:
regularna międzyośrdkowa

Name and surname of the applicant:
Agata Bachórz Uniwersytet Gdański

Co-authors:
Ewa Kopczyńska Uniwersytet Jagielloński

Abstract:
Today, many individuals experience what has been termed the “seduction of craft” (Makovicky 2020), placing their hopes for the future in physical and manual labor, and even perceiving it as a tool for broad social transformation. This perspective suggests that craftsmanship and physical work can challenge the existing reality, redefine personal biographies, overcome alienation, restructure economic relations, or address the environmental costs of consumption. This phenomenon encompasses situations in which manual labor—such as food preparation and production, plant cultivation and animal husbandry, renovation, sewing, or various forms of DIY—undergoes redefinition. These activities, traditionally associated with working-class communities, are transformed from necessity-driven or income-generating practices into a form of “serious leisure,” an identity project, or a means of self-actualization (including professional development). In some cases, new forms of craftsmanship also serve as a basis for community work, often envisioned and carried out by members of the symbolic elites and middle or upper classes (e.g., culinary workshops, community gardens). In these new contexts, manual labor, physical activity, and craftsmanship become future-oriented tools, both on an individual and collective level. Balcony-grown tomatoes represent a vision of a sustainable food system, a screwdriver becomes an instrument for reclaiming social control over production, crocheting restores balance in everyday life, and furniture restoration promises a renewal of capitalism itself. These novel translations of craftsmanship and bodily practices directly engage with contemporary challenges while also drawing upon historical traditions, distant cultures, and class-based habitus.

We invite contributions that explore the contemporary resurgence of manual labor and physical work:

  • Why has physical labor become appealing in social contexts where it was not previously widespread?
  •  Why is it believed to have the power to fulfill so many promises?
  • What happens when such work is transferred to different social contexts?
  • How do traditional crafts and practices evolve in these new settings?
  • What new narratives accompany manual/physical labor in these contexts—what do they highlight, omit, or marginalize?
  • What happens to the traditional contexts in which these practices historically functioned?
  • What are the broader structural consequences of these processes?

We also welcome submissions that challenge or problematize the premise we have outlined.

Type of group:
Sekcja Antropologii Społecznej PTS, grupa sekcyjna, regularna

Name and surname of the applicant:
Maja Biernacka Uniwersytet w Białymstoku

Co-authors:
Paweł Starosta, Uniwersytet Łódzki

Abstract:
The session is dedicated to new forms of civic participation in urban and suburban space. It concerns long-term, comprehensive strategies and efforts to implement them, as well as individual actions on the part of individual, collective and institutional actors operating in public and non-public spheres who share this space and contribute to its creation. 

The processes of co-creation and sharing concern both material and non-material resources, the latter being especially technical and non-technical knowledge, organizational and cultural competences, etc. Also of interest are the ideologies that legitimize the positions of individual actors in the use of those resources and disputes regarding the functioning of the city.

Type of group:
regular inter-centre

Name and surname of the applicant:
Aneta Baranowska Uniwersytet Kazmierza Wielkiego w Bydgoszczy;

Co-authors:
Małgorzata Stochmal Uniwersytet Wrocławski

Abstract:
The issue of resilience resonates with the problems of risk and uncertainty which are present in our everyday lives. Resilience is an ability to adapt to different situations in the face of difficulties and changes and it plays a key role in building social immunity drawing on the plentitude of previous experiences. In a dynamic reality, which is full of unexpected challenges, the necessity to boost the immunity in the course of facing challenges becomes one of the most important goals of modern societies. Developing this ability on different levels – individual, community and systemic ones – contributes not only to coping with crisis more easily but also to creating long-term well-being and prosperity. The key issue here is both the ability to overcome difficulties, but also the development of potential to make further progress despite changing circumstances. Modern world can be characterized by constant change and multidimensionality of problems that individuals, communities and systems have to deal with. Climate change, increasing urbanization, globalization and sudden crises, such as pandemics or armed conflicts are just a few examples of challenges which require flexibility and adaptability skills. In such a reality, resilience becomes a key strategy to cope with rapid changes. Resilient subjects can use crisis experience as an impulse to learn and change by strengthening their competencies and internal resources. The crucial elements of resilience in this case are a sense of self-agency, self-reflection, intentionality, the ability to make decisions, the ability to regulate emotions and social support. Resilient subjects are characterized by the ability to mobilize resources like solidarity, cooperation or trust, which allows them to fight against dangers more successfully and take advantage of arising opportunities. In such a context, investment in education, development of social capital and creation of inclusive decision-making structures become essential. Resilience can constitute the foundation of modern strategies of coping with challenges and building long-term well-being and prosperity. We invite you to submit abstracts addressing the issues related to the resilience phenomenon in uncertain conditions, the factors influencing the development of well-being and prosperity, and coping with crisis on various levels – from individual to systemic. We also encourage you to explore the topic of social challenges and to search for their solutions.

Type of group:
regular inter-centre sekcja socjologicznych probl bez nar

Name and surname of the applicant:
Zuzanna Brunarska Uniwersytet Warszawski

Co-authors:
Ewa Cichocka, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin

Abstract:
Members of ethnic, racial or religious minority groups are usually more aware of ethnic/racial/religious inequalities, as they are more likely than members of majority groups to have personally experienced discrimination, which often contributes to these disparities. Majority members are less likely to face discrimination – both individual and structural – on the basis of their origin and may not be aware of the existence of inequalities, let alone discrimination, in the society. They also may deny their existence to avoid negative assessment of their own group. The awareness of inequalities and the perception of their sources, including the awareness of the existence of discrimination, is usually studied from the perspective of marginalised groups. The perspective of advantaged groups remains relatively understudied.

The awareness of inequalities and discrimination existent in a society is important to counteract their negative effects on minority members and contribute to greater equality and social cohesion. The majority’s perception of minority groups not only affects how these groups function but also shapes how minority members identify themselves, influencing their sense of belonging and identity choices. The study of the majority perception of functioning of minorities brings better understanding of the situation of minority members, including migrants, and the challenges they face in daily life as well as the related integration processes.

Questions on the perception of inequalities and discrimination towards minorities among the majority group have been studied in the U.S. context, where they focused primarily on racial differences. However, relatively little research has documented perceptions of ethnicity- and religion-based inequalities, particularly outside the US context, including in Europe.

Within this thematic group, we want to focus on the perspective of the majority – to what extent majority members recognise inequalities based on ethnic, racial, religious, or origin-based grounds; how they justify them, and in particular, to what extent they perceive existing inequalities as resulting from discrimination existent in society. We are interested in studies exploring these issues in the still relatively understudied European context, especially in Central and Eastern European countries, which have only recently experienced an increase in migration-related social diversity.

This thematic group welcomes researchers whose research falls under the following thematic areas:

– the perception of and justification of inequalities based on ethnic, racial, religious or origin-based grounds in European societies;

– the perception of the role of individual, institutional and structural discrimination in generating these inequalities in different spheres of life (e.g. in the labour market, housing market, education, health care or sports);

– factors influencing the perception of these inequalities and ways of justifying them, including the perception/awareness of different types of discrimination (individual, statistical, institutional, structural etc.);

– the effects of the majority perception of minority group functioning on minority self-identification, sense of belonging, integration, life chances, and other areas of life, including the consequences of a lack of awareness of the existence of inequalities or discrimination on ethnic, racial, religious, or origin-based grounds among majority groups for the societal functioning of minority members;

– the majority perception of the functioning of minority groups, including the perception of integration processes of newly arrived groups in European societies.

Type of group:
Grupa Tematyczna Sekcji Socjologii Etniczności regularna

Name and surname of the applicant:
Elżbieta Kolasińska Uniewersytet Gdański

Co-authors:
Joanna Szalacha -Jarmużek Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika, Toruń

Abstract:
Money, as a fundamental element of mobile societies, is subject to constant transformations, both in its material form and in the social meanings we attribute to it. As practical mean of exchanging goods and services, over time it has transformed into a complex social phenomenon, with deep cultural and symbolic meanings. Its role goes far beyond the purely economic sphere. It influences our identities, relationships and perception of the world. The last dozen or so years have brought exceptionally dynamic changes related to globalization, dematerialization of money and new technological and infrastructural possibilities. They generate a number of new research questions that require a new approach within the research of economic sociology, sociology of consumption and other related fields – what are the social consequences of these changes; how do new forms of money affect social inequalities, consumerism and interpersonal relations; what are the cultural, political and ethical implications of the processes related to them?

We are interested in new insights into these changes, with particular emphasis on the new social characteristics of the management and governance of the means of exchange of value. We are interested in:

• sociological analyses of new forms of money: from cashless to cryptocurrencies, as well as analysis of new financial instruments and their impact on social and economic relations;

• analysis of social meanings of money: understanding how the social perception of money is changing in the context of globalization, consumerism and social inequality;

• research on the mechanisms of money legitimization: identifying the social and institutional processes that give money or its alternative forms value and trust;

• assessment of the impact of new technologies on the monetary economy: analysis of the impact of digitization, artificial intelligence and blockchain on the functioning of socio-economic systems and financial management at the micro and meso level.

Type of group:
grupa Sekcji Socjologii Ekonomicznej regularna

Name and surname of the applicant:
Małgorzata Sikorska Uniwersytet Warszawski,

Co-authors:
Paula Pustułka – Uniwersytet SWPS w Warszawie,

Abstract:
Family choices – including romantic and marital practices, reproductive intentions and decisions, parenting practices and intergenerational relationships – are key to understanding both social cohesion and tensions, as well as social change.

On the one hand, successive cohorts of Poles continue to aspire to a conventional family model, reflected in a declared and typically realized desire to marry and have children, as well as strong attachment to intergenerational solidarity. On the other hand, young adults entering adulthood in the early 21st century increasingly question the applicability of traditional family norms to contemporary reality. Trust in the institution of marriage is declining, while reproductive intentions are often ambivalent or explicitly antinatalist. Public discourse contains both the normalization of cohabitation and childlessness, and certain alarmist claims that the preferred marital-family model among young people today comes down to a “couple and a dog” arrangement.

We seek to engage in sociological reflections on the discursive, social, and individual meanings of family choices across generations. Of particular interest to this working group is the extent to which the contemporary reality of polycrisis serves as a reference point for individual decisions in family life, We aim to continue and expand discussions initiated in a panel we organized during the PTS Congress in Warsaw, which resulted in three special issues (two in Social Policy Issues and one in Journal of Family Studies).

We invite submissions from scholars researching how different generations experience and perceive their family lives. We are particularly interested in work tackling the interplay between the reproduction and rejection of past generations’ attitudes toward marriage and parenthood. Moreover, we wish to foster understanding how it contributes to social cohesion, tensions, and change in family life.

Similarly, we encourage reflections on how individual choices across generations are shaped by macrostructural factors (e.g., economic conditions, including labor market trends; political and legislative factors; global threats such as climate change and armed conflicts) and public discourses, especially those that recognize new trends and social movements gaining traction on social media. Both radical and progressive movements (e.g., Korea’s 4B movement, Japan’s fur babies phenomenon, the boy/girlsober celibacy movement) and those advocating a return to tradition (e.g., the tradwife movement) may serve as crucial reference points for the romantic and family choices of the younger generation.

We encourage submissions that concern – but are not limited to – the following issues:

– Broadly understood influences of norms and values, discourses and social media, politics, economic conditions, and polycrises on the family decisions and practices of Poles across different generations/cohorts/age groups/life stages. We welcome both analyses of selected social groups and comparative studies.

– Family choices in practice—strategies employed by individuals from different generations in response to the above factors, including alternative models of marital and intimate life; cohabitation; the role of pets in couples’ and families’ lives; reproductive intentions; parenting practices; intergenerational relationships.

– Emerging discursive phenomena (particularly on social media) as contributions to discussions on romantic and intimate choices, especially from a gender perspective.

– Intersectional analyses of family life, considering overlapping identities that shape individual choices, for instance generation, age, gender, sexuality, social class, and ethnicity.

– Family choices from an interdisciplinary perspective, e.g., demographic determinants of fertility; reproductive agency; voluntary childlessness; intergenerational solidarity.

Type of group:
grupa Sekcji Socjologii Życia Rodzinnego i Intymności międzyośrodkowa regularna

Name and surname of the applicant:
Katarzyna Andrejuk Instytut Filozofii i Socjologii PAN

Co-authors:
Tatiana Kanasz, Akademia Pedagogiki Specjalnej im. Marii Grzegorzewskiej
Aleksandra Winiarska, Uniwersytet Warszawski

Abstract:
In recent years there has been a dynamic development of migration research in Poland. This is related to the growing presence of labour migrants and educational migrants, the influx of war refugees, the increasing ethno-national diversification of immigrant communities in Poland. At the same time, there are numerous breakthroughs in other areas of social life that are changing contemporary migration. Importance of digitalization and artificial intelligence is growing. New forms of international cooperation and regional agreements provide opportunities for special residence statuses, but also generate new crises. The cultural dimensions of migration, clashes of different values and emerging cultural syncretism are attracting media attention. Conducting migration research under these conditions presents both a challenge and an opportunity for new theoretical and methodological approaches. Numerous empirical studies have a potential to offer significant conceptual and methodological innovations. They can be used in subsequent research projects conducted not only in Poland, but also in other countries. The session will focus on new theoretical and methodological directions in migration research in Poland from a sociological perspective. It will include presentations analysing immigration to Poland as well as emigration of Poles abroad. What new concepts and explanatory perspectives are formulated by migration researchers? How is migration research gaining new opportunities to analyze social reality through methodological improvements and innovative research techniques? We invite scholars to submit both empirical and theoretical papers that identify innovations in the field of migration research and their potential, also for other sub-disciplines of sociology.

Type of group:
grupa regularna grupa Sekcji Socjologii Migracji

Name and surname of the applicant:
Magdalena Jelonek Uniwersytet Ekonomiczny w Krakowie

Co-authors:
Jolanta Perek-Białas, Uniwersytet Jagielloński
Barbara Worek, Uniwersytet Jagielloński

Abstract:
In a dynamically evolving socio-economic environment, the Polish labour market faces significant challenges, including a shortage of skilled workers, demographic shifts, technological transformation, and the growing importance of both digital and soft skills. This session serves as a platform for knowledge exchange on contemporary labour market issues, grounded in the analysis of well recognized survey data.

We invite researchers working with well recognized survey data, including studies such as the Human Capital Study in Poland (BKL), the Programme for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies (PIAAC), the European Social Survey (ESS), the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (SHARE), as well as scholars employing other research methods (including qualitative approaches) to deepen the insights derived from survey data. Contributions that describe the Polish labour market within a broader, for example, European, perspective are also highly encouraged. We also invite individuals and experts working in public institutions to participate in the thematic group, particularly those who analyze labor market trends from the perspective of planned public policy solutions and those involved in evaluating the implementation of policies for society.

The session aims to analyse the processes, trends, and challenges shaping the Polish labour market and to discuss how survey data can contribute to a better understanding of these issues.

Representative thematic areas and topics addressed within the group :

Work, Identity, and Culture
(e.g., work and identity, the role of work in shaping social and professional belonging, intergenerational expectations regarding work, work-life balance, employee psychological well-being, workplace well-being, occupations as symbols of social status and prestige, organisational culture and employee engagement, work in the context of social and family roles, work as a means of fulfilling personal values).

Skills and qualifications in the polish labour market
(e.g., skill needs, gaps, mismatches, skill levels, the role of formal vs. non-formal and informal education, the effectiveness of the formal education system in developing labour market-relevant skills, the impact of migration on the supply of skills, skills from a generational perspective, skill development and lifelong learning)

Labour market – key trends and challenges
(e.g., global and local megatrends affecting the labour market: globalisation, automation and robotics, green transformation and digitalisation, demographic changes and their impact on the labour market)

Inequalities in the polish labour market
(e.g., labour market flexibility and precarisation, employment of marginalised groups, workplace discrimination, wage inequalities, occupational sector disparities, regional labour market inequalities, barriers to entry for individuals without work experience, platform economy (gig economy) as a new form of employment)

Type of group:
regular inter-centre

Name and surname of the applicant:
Kamilla Dolińska Uniwersytet Wrocławski

Co-authors:
Ewa Michna, Uniwersytet Jagielloński
Michał Łyszczarz Uniwersytet Warmińsko-Mazurski

Abstract:
The attempts to determine the nature of a society’s ethnic structure and the size of the various groups that make it up always arouse considerable emotions on the part of both state authorities and representatives of the majority as well as minority groups. Although censuses are considered to be one of the most important sources of information on a country’s population and its ethnic diversity (in terms of an individual’s nationality and ethnic identity, race, language spoken, religious beliefs, country of birth and nationality/citizenship), they are not free from these emotions – both in terms of their preparation, conduct and results.
Discussions and controversies on these issues have already arisen in our country in connection with the 2002, 2011 and 2021 censuses. They concerned the number and wording of questions on ethnic identity and language, the methodology of the census and the publication of the results. Representatives of national minorities consider that the problems that arose during the preparation of the successive censuses, their implementation and the methodology used to process their results undermine the validity of the results obtained and their use for the implementation of the provisions of the 2005 Law on National and Ethnic Minorities and Regional Language.
The purpose of the proposed group’s deliberations will therefore be to discuss the results of the 2021 Ethnic and Linguistic Census in Poland and the reaction of representatives of national and ethnic minorities to these results. At the same time, we propose to look at the results and discussions surrounding the most recent census in the context of the previous measurements in 2002 and 2011.
The topics and nature of the proposed group follow those organised after the 2002 Census during the 2004 Congress in Poznań, after the 2011 Census during the 2013 Congressin Szczecin, and after the 2021 Census during the 2022 Congress in Warsaw. Each of them has resulted in a collective volume on the topic, published as part of a post-census series.

Type of group:
Grupa Sekcji Socjologii Etniczności i Sekcji Antropologii Społecznej; regularna

Name and surname of the applicant:
Teresa Zbyrad UMCS

Co-authors:
Hubert Kaszyński Uniwersytet Jagielloński
Włodzimierz Piątkowski (UMCS)

Abstract:
The issues of broadly understood mental health take on particular importance in a world in which the crisis and its multidimensional consequences have become a factor not only defining the boundaries of periods of relative stability, but also influencing the course and nature of “everyday life” in the conditions of “perma-crisis reality”. The “socio-pathogenic” continuity, complexity, intensity and co-occurrence of social problems we are already familiar with, combined with a sense of growing discomfort, threat, deprivation and the perception of the consequences of global crises, shapes potentially (and actually) traumatizing “risk factors” that are a difficult challenge for people, families, groups and communities susceptible to social stress (including children, migrants, disabled communities and the elderly population, etc.). Living conditions in the “society of crisis and risk” have revealed not only drastically growing disproportions in the use of and access to services and institutions responsible for mental health, but also posed new challenges for organizations creating the health sector and broadly understood social assistance. It should be emphasised that mental illnesses and disorders – especially after the COVID-19 pandemic – are the leading cause of disability in Europe. This fact proves, among other things, the necessity of further, consistent search for new theories, methodologies and effective practices in the field of social policy as well as exemplary organizational solutions limiting (eliminating) barriers that hinder planning and implementation of activities concerning mental health attributed to medicine, along with the simultaneous implementation of “non-medical” strategies referring to broadly understood environmental orientations. Regardless, there is an urgent need to create and practically implement “preparedness policies” appropriate for humanitarian disaster situations that protect and enhance the mental health of at-risk populations. As a consequence of such actions, the healthcare system should have the capacity for restructuring (resilience), in situations of sudden threat, it should guarantee the inter-organizational cooperation, while being aware of having legal guarantees of support from the authorities and decision-makers in the sphere of creating and implementing preparedness policy (protectionism). An important point of reference for the planned session is the exchange of views and discussion, taking into account the theoretical and application (sociotechnical) perspective adopted in contemporary European sociology of health and medicine and social work, including in particular reflection on: a) institutional resources that condition the proper functioning of the mental health care system, b) possibilities and principles of cooperation and collaboration between medical staff and social care specialists, including social workers, as well as: c) preliminary formulation and definition of the content of recommendations for inter-organizational and intersectoral mental health policy. The planned discussion should take into account new models of creating pro-health solutions in cooperation with representatives of local communities, as well as – in line with the service users involvement trend – groups of people with experiences of mental health disorders. The session, enabling a multidimensional and multi-threaded debate on mental health in the realities of the “crisis society”, proposes and promotes the development of a model of an effective system for its promotion and protection. The formal point of reference for the Organizers and Participants of our Session during the deliberations of the proposed Thematic Group are, among others, the recommendations regarding support and improvement of access to mental health treatment and care for people affected by mental disorders contained in subsection 2.5. Synopsis report for the Commission communication on a comprehensive Approach to Mental Health.

Initial proposal of the topics of the conference:

1. Mental illnesses and mental disorders in classical Polish medical sociology.

2. Definitions and redefinitions of mental health

3. Mental health and its threats in a society of crisis

4. Old and new diseases in the area of ​​mental health

5. Functionality and dysfunctionality of the mental health care system

6. Holistic health, holistic recovery – on the need for cooperation of professional helpers

7. Contemporary challenges and forecasts regarding mental health

Type of group:
grupa międzysekcyjna Sekcji Socjologii Zdrowia i Medycyny; Sekcji Pracy Socjalnej regularna

Name and surname of the applicant:
Elżbieta Korolczuk Uniwersytet Warszawski i Uniwersytet Södertörn

Co-authors:
Beata Kowalska, Uniwersytet Jagielloński

Abstract:
The concept of polycrisis is not new. As early as 1994, Rosi Braidotti, Ewa Charkiewicz and co-authors pointed out that the world is facing many interconnected crises, such as environmental degradation and climate change, increasing social inequalities and economic injustice, and still existing inequalities related to gender, race and ethnicity. The last decade has also seen crises connected to health issues (the Covid 19 pandemic) and worrying political developments (the growing political significance of the far right and populist parties). These challenges require increased mobilization on the part of social movements’ activists and ordinary citizens: in the Polish context, they have led to mass demonstrations, the emergence of new groups and networks, and to intensified cooperation, e.g. between the ecological and feminist movements.

In the context of the looming polycrisis, activism focused on solving single problems seems insufficient, and therefore new strategies of action and new frames of interpretation are emerging that help linking problems that are perceived as separate in public perception. An example of this is the ecological movements, which, instead of focusing narrowly on environmental protection, cooperate more with organizations working for social justice, because workers’ rights or gender equality are closely linked to the problems of environmental degradation and climate change. There is a growing awareness that social and political change requires an integrated approach, in which solutions to one problem intersect with solutions to others. This evolving perspective reflects the need for intersectionality as a guiding principle in solving global challenges. As part of the panel, we want to look at how social movements in Poland and around the world respond to the overlapping dimensions of the crisis, how they define the challenges they face and how they operate in a world in which activists lack not only influence, power and resources, but often hope for a better future.

Type of group:
regular inter-centre

Name and surname of the applicant:
Agnieszka Kołodziej-Durnaś Uniwersytet Szczeciński

Co-authors:
Iwona Królikowska, Akademia Marynarki Wojennej w Gdyni

Abstract:
Sociological reflections on maritime issues have, to date, been marked by a certain degree of dispersion. The first strand of this discourse can be found within the sub-disciplines of sociology, such as the sociology of labor or the sociology of organizations, where studies on the “people of the sea” have found their place: maritime professions, the social framework of the maritime economy, as well as the specificities of work aboard ships, the functioning of maritime communities on land, and the families of seafarers and fishermen. The second strand of this reflection aligned more closely with urban sociology and the humanistic study of culture; here, one must distinguish numerous studies of port cities, the ideas, symbolic forms, and narratives that accompany maritime identity. Thus, over the years, this fragmented maritime sociology is confronted with at least two significant tasks.

The first task is to further its institutionalization and integration, establishing a field in which the aforementioned currents can coexist within a shared orbit under a widely recognized name (maritime sociology) and mutually enrich one another through cognitive synergy. In Poland, maritime sociology has already been partially institutionalized, thanks to the efforts of researchers from Szczecin and Gdańsk, including Prof. Ludwik Janiszewski, whose work dates back approximately sixty years. In recent years, scholars from various countries, particularly Poland and Germany, have been striving for consolidation. Maritime topics have been placed on the agenda of the European Sociological Association Conferences (sessions held at conferences in Lisbon 2009, Geneva 2011, Turin 2013, Prague 2015, Manchester 2019, and Barcelona 2022, as well as Porto in 2024), the Polish Sociological Congresses in Szczecin (2013), Gdańsk (2016), Wrocław (2019), and Warsaw (2022), as well as the Congress of the German Sociological Society in Trier (2014). It may be also suitable to mention the idea of a publishing series realized within the framework of Polish-German cooperation („International Studies in Maritime Sociology”, Brill, eds. Agnieszka Kołodziej-Durnas, Marie Grasmeier and Frank Sowa, vol. 1-3).

The second task, an essential undertaking at the dawn of the second quarter of the 21st century, is the expansion of maritime sociology to encompass environmental studies, which entails the incorporation of the concept of sustainability. Researchers are reflecting on sustainable approaches to marine resource management that can secure these resources for future generations while providing long-term benefits, both social and economic, as well as ecological. The context for such research is shaped by climate change, the use of modern technologies (e.g., wind energy from offshore farms), and the emergence of the blue economy, which aims to minimize environmental impact. In these areas, maritime sociology requires an interdisciplinary approach and collaboration, on one hand, with experts in blue economy, and on the other, with anthropologists and cultural scholars interested in blue humanities (blue studies) or engaged in what is known as ocean literacy—the promotion of maritime awareness.

We propose a panel dedicated to maritime sociology as a space for discussing the institutionalization of, and the new “blue” challenges in, marine research both in Poland and abroad.

Type of group:
regular inter-centre

Name and surname of the applicant:
Jacek Burski Uniwersytet Wrocławski

Co-authors:
Katarzyna Waniek, Uniwersytet Łódzki

Abstract:
In the context of the interlinked crises that have beset the recent years, inquiring into the pertinence of biographical experience within two distinct domains is crucial. Firstly, it is important to examine the significance of biographical experience in the face of sudden shocks of an exogenous nature, such as the ongoing pandemic, the war in Ukraine, and to a certain extent, the ongoing inflationary crisis. Secondly, to explore the role of biographical experience in addressing long-term challenges that affect specific domains of social life, including the persistent crisis of public services, which is felt acutely by both those who provide these services and their users. It is hypothesised that macro-structural crisis phenomena, frequently associated with a sense of disorder and uncertainty, can be considered in terms of biographical turning points (Mrozowicki, Burski 2024). Conversely, it is of significance to observe the opposite situation, in which we are not only not dealing with biographical reorientation (metamorphosis) or strengthening of pre-crisis processes and mechanisms, but with the absence of a clear stigma of crisis in the biographical material.

We hereby extend an invite to researchers engaged in the study of biographical approach (e.g. (auto)biographical narrative interviews, diaries, oral history research and other forms of data in which biographical themes are present) to participate in this group. Researchers are encouraged to contribute their findings on crisis themes within diverse areas of experience (e.g. field of work, relationships with others, social engagement, etc.).

The following topics are of particular interest: the relationship between macro crises and the micro level of biographical experience, the mechanisms of giving and denying meaning to social crises, the mechanisms of developing and possibly changing coping strategies, and the impact of social crisis on process structures (increasing trajectory potentials, experiencing suffering, introducing elements of biographical disorder).

Type of group:
regular inter-centre

Name and surname of the applicant:
Michał Bujalski Uniwersytet Warszawski,

Co-authors:
Justyna Klingemann (WIM-PIB)

Abstract:
Risk and uncertainty have emerged as paramount subjects of inquiry in contemporary social sciences, with their significance continuously increasing amid dynamic global transformations. Fundamental questions concerning the nature of risk, its social construction, and cultural variations in risk perception have profoundly influenced contemporary approaches to conceptualising the future. This intellectual trajectory has generated extensive empirical research and theoretical frameworks that establish risk as a critical analytical category.  Risk category has become central to regulatory frameworks, management systems, and expert discourses, permeating virtually all dimensions of contemporary social realities.

The evolution of uncertainty governance structures – within a context characterised by unpredictable events, systemic complexity, and intricate interdependencies – facilitates the prioritisation of certain issues while others are relegated to peripheral status or entirely disregarded. Contemporary challenges such as climate change, environmental degradation, technological disruption, bioengineering, lifestyle-associated risks, epidemics, pandemics, hybrid threats, armed conflicts, migration, natural and humanitarian calamities represent merely a subset of the prominent themes pervading media discourse, public deliberation, and risk management policies. Contemporary societies confront risks that are simultaneously global and systemic in nature, whilst also addressing threats that impact individuals in their everyday existence. We not only inhabit a “risk society” but engage in risk management across virtually every domain of our lives.

However, the fundamental question remains: what constitutes risk? Should it be conceptualised as an objective phenomenon or interpreted as a social construct? Within the framework of risk science, risk is operationalised as a probabilistic event or an objective threat amenable to measurement, analysis, and prediction. Conversely, the sociological perspective approaches risk as a culturally mediated and socially constructed phenomenon, whose modes of production, selection, and interpretation are subject to systematic empirical investigation. Cultural determinants influencing individual risk perception manifest at the collective level – evident in public policies, regulatory frameworks, and efficacy expectations.

Safety, traditionally conceived as the absence of threats, has acquired increasingly dynamic and relational characteristics. Within evolving social and technological paradigms, safety necessitates continuous negotiation and reconceptualisation. The designation of “safe” or “secure” frequently denotes merely acceptable or tolerated risk levels. Similarly, crises – both anticipated and unforeseen – expose the limitations of risk management systems whilst simultaneously revealing opportunities for adaptation and transformation in conditions of uncertainty.

The sociological imagination, by exposing the associations between individual experiences and broader social processes, facilitates critical reflection on how risk and uncertainty may shape societal futures. Risk analysis transcends mere threat assessment, encompassing consideration of mitigation strategies and adaptive capabilities in an increasingly unpredictable world. We cordially invite scholars engaged with risk, uncertainty, threats, and security as fundamental analytical categories for contemporary social challenges to participate in this session.
The organisers welcome both theoretical contributions and empirical investigations addressing security enhancement strategies, risk management policies, as well as risk perception and communication frameworks

Type of group:
regular inter-centre

Name and surname of the applicant:
Maja Brzozowska-Brywczyńska, Wydział Socjologii, Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu

Co-authors:
Anna Witeska-Młynarczyk, Instytut Socjologii UMCS

Abstract:
The polycrisis of contemporary life, marked by concurrent social, economic, and political conflicts, alongside the looming threat of climate catastrophe, significantly alters the experience of childhood and the theoretical and research methodologies pertaining to it.

We propose examining these transformations in a way that simultaneously attempts to transcend the dominant pessimistic discourse of threats and allows for attention to be directed towards the traces and moments of agency of children and young people, their diverse coping strategies, and visions of the future.

We want to open a space for a multidimensional, engaged, and critical discussion on how the polycrisis context reconfigures the understanding of childhood in social sciences. 

On the one hand, we are interested in new theoretical perspectives emerging in response to contemporary challenges – from posthumanist concepts of childhood to studies on childhood in the Anthropocene.  On the other hand, we are asking how, in light of current crises, we should rethink key concepts for childhood studies, such as agency, subjectivity, and participation.  We want to pay special attention to new forms of intergenerational solidarity and the relationships between children and non-human actors and the natural environment.

At the centre of our interest are also the specific experiences of children and young people functioning in a reality marked by crises.  How do they cope with uncertainty?  What strategies are they developing?  How do they envision the future?  We are interested in both issues related to trauma and mental well-being, as well as examples of children’s activism, resilience, and new forms of community. We invite you to reflect on how childhood studies can contribute to a better understanding and “taming” of contemporary risks.  We encourage the presentation of both theoretical considerations and proposals, as well as the results of empirical research on childhood in the context of polycrisis.

Type of group:
regularna grupa Sekcji Socjologii Dzieci i Dzieciństwa,

Name and surname of the applicant:
Jakub Niedbalski Uniwersytet Łódzki

Co-authors:
Mariola Racław, Uniwersytet Warszawski

Abstract:
Disability studies have evolved out of a critique of the medical model presenting disability as a problem in need of a solution. The resulting socially informed account recognizes disability not as a medical condition but as a social and discursive process. According to the medical model, disability is a personal deficit or impairment. In contrast, the social model shifts the focus to the social and environmental factors that contribute to disability, indicating that disability is not merely a derivative of a person’s physical or mental condition, but it is also a social construct seen as a confluence of intertwined and interrelated attitudes, policies and barriers.
Contemporary disability studies usually lean towards a relational, political model of disability, which integrates the mental and physical experiences of the body and mind with the concept of disability as a social construct. On this view, disability is associated not only with limited spatial and architectural accessibility but also with the rationing of sociocultural resources, broadly construed. People with disabilities and their families may thus contend with limited resources or restrictive access to certain services depending on their circumstances and amassed capital.
Accordingly, it is imperative within current disability studies to acknowledge the dynamic interdependence between disability and a range of factors and conditions. Irrespective of whether these factors and conditions are viewed as social, legal, political or economic, they are by no means rigid features. Instead, they undergo complex evolution, shaped by the settings in which they manifest themselves.
For this reason, our group aims to bring attention to the dynamic nature of this relationship, emphasizing the contextual nature of disability, and thus pointing to the conditions, factors and circumstances that influence how disability is perceived, experienced and felt, and, furthermore, how these conditions, factors and circumstances differentiate the situation of people with disabilities and their families. Disability is thus defined as the intersection of diverse mutually determining factors and conditions.
We look forward to receiving applications relevant to disability studies in their intersectional dimension, which captures the phenomenon of disability within broadly understood cultural, social and material contexts at the intersection of interlocking, overlapping and concomitant social phenomena and categories.

Type of group:
regularna międzyośrodkowa

Name and surname of the applicant:
Magdalena Łukasiuk Uniwersytet Warszawski

Co-authors:
Kamilla Biskupska, Uniwersytet Wrocławski

Abstract:
The 20th and 21st centuries are marked by rapid changes, not only social ones. These changes sometimes lead to evolutionary adaptations and sometimes to the destruction of certain forms of organization (e.g. ecosystems, localities, professions) that have not survived or are endangered. We understand the titular universes as a nexus of social, material, natural, technological, symbolic, etc. elements that generate their own practices, customs, principles, values, or patterns.

We are planning presentations with various levels of abstraction and thematic scope – e.g. about a flooded city, entire post-migration areas, manifestations of attitudes towards nature by selected social groups or about the design practice of an architect.

We would like to take a closer look at situations that lead to the breakdown of the universe, to the disruption of this weave in such a way that previously relatively well-matched elements cease to work together, and the universe loses its ability to reproduce itself. The situation after the breakdown, the strategies of the actors involved in the change, the reformulation of meanings, the choices about the future are also worth analyzing.

We are interested in both the intervening factors, entropic and anthropic, which break up universes (these can be migrations, technologies, ideologies, investments, inventions, diseases, law, etc., but also “centrifugal force”), as well as the courses and results of these processes. We are interested in the resilience of universes and their susceptibility to breakup, their weak points. Finally, we are interested in the castaways from these universes in the form of social categories, objects, landscapes, fauna and flora, techniques and skills, etc.

Our call is formulated in a general enough way to create an opportunity to look at mechanisms, and not just describe cases idiographically.

Type of group:
regularna międzyośrodkowa

Name and surname of the applicant:
Renata Putkowska-Smoter (Szkoła Główna Gospodarstwa Wiejskiego

Co-authors:
Krzysztof Niedziałkowski, IFiS PAN

Abstract:
The scale and severity of the negative impacts of climate change and the ecological crisis reinforce the postulate of developing broad, effective cooperation – between people and with nature (Symbiocene [in: G.A. Albrecht 2016; eco-energy, but also communities of disagreement [in: E. Bińczyk 2023). On the other hand, the advancing “multi-crisis” (Lawrence et al. 2024) can create and trigger mechanisms that make it difficult to develop common goals, agree on actions, cooperate and build trust. The aim of the thematic group is to review research and methodological approaches related to the mechanisms, conditions and limits of environmental cooperation and collaboration (broadly defined), and to discuss the implications of this review for social theories.

As environmental sociology research shows, cooperation is a broad analytical category and recognised reference point for key climate and environmental actors. Activism, self-governance, solidarity are among the postulates of ecological social movements. Public participation, inclusiveness and nature-based actions are important references for contemporary environmental policies. International, inter-generational and inter-species justice are also key aspects of systemic economic and political change advocated by many international environmental movements. The conditions for environmental cooperation and the mechanisms of its coordination are widely commented on in research devoted to theories of environmental governance and in the experiences of environmental psychology (including the importance of social trust, the role of education, the development of ecological awareness). Another important line of research is cooperation with non-human beings.

Finally, the dynamic relationship between cooperation and conflict is highlighted by a critical reflection on the effectiveness of available forms of cooperation in the environmental field. Sometimes cooperation remains a postulate or a facade in a conflict situation, but it can also coexist with a conflict relationship or even replace conflict.

We propose a framework for discussion, which reflect the diversity of challenges and possible areas for social research on environmental cooperation: – What determines cooperation (and lack of it) in the field of environmental governance? In which areas of environmental issues does it occur, and in which does it occur to a lesser extent? – How can cooperation be supported and developed in a crisis situation? What factors strengthen cooperation and what factors block it? – How has the role of social movements and public participation in environmental governance developed, and what is their current status? – How can cooperation and colaboration for the environment be shaped? What is the significance of tendencies such as: grassroots/centralised, obligatory/voluntary, systemic/particular nature of environmental activities? – What is the role of institutions, social norms and ecological awareness in the proces of environmental cooperation? – How has the role of science, social research and educational structures in environmental governance developed, and what is their current status? – What is the relationship between conflict mechanisms and environmental cooperation? What influences them?

Type of group:
grupa Sekcji Socjologii Środowiska regularna

Name and surname of the applicant:
Natasza Doiczman-Łobooda Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu

Co-authors:
Sabina Pawlas, Uniwersytet Śląski

Abstract:
In Polish social work, which is based on an institutionalized social assistance system, the model of providing support depends on the identified cause, that is, a justified reason. The list of legally recognized reasons for providing assistance remains unchanged; however, external conditions evolve, potentially intensifying feelings of threat and uncertainty. Experiences from recent years demonstrate that the COVID-19 pandemic has weakened the mental well-being of Poles and has given rise to new dimensions of uncertainty (Kotlarska-Michalska, 2023). Although uncertainty has always been a part of human existence, regardless of the era, contemporary uncertainty has significantly increased—people today can lose everything: health, life, a loved one, or their entire life’s work. Fear and anxiety, which fuel feelings of uncertainty, are stronger because the state of threat is considerably higher than in previously experienced types of risks.

Ulrich Beck aptly recognized the multiplicity of threats in his well-known work Risk Society: Towards a New Modernity (1992, 2002), and many researchers have analyzed this issue. In Risk, Jacob Arnoldi, when discussing the future of risk, states:

“The answer that almost suggests itself is that threats known today only as potential will materialize in the form of dangers, disasters, and further problems. This logical answer will have to satisfy sociology” (Arnoldi, 2011, p. 219).

However, efforts can be made to minimize the consequences of social threats, and this is a fundamental task for contemporary social work.

Sociological knowledge, along with an extensive body of research on social work and within social work itself, confirms that today, those in need of professional support form a much broader category than what is legally recognized in the list of groups at risk of poverty and social exclusion. Viewing threats as a key area of social work appears both necessary and obligatory. By utilizing interdisciplinary knowledge, it is worth engaging in discussions aimed at defining the role of social work in addressing crucial issues such as threats, risks, and uncertainty—translating these concerns into a practical system of actions that not only mitigate their consequences but also prevent social threats.

It is essential to consider the experiences of social workers during the COVID-19 pandemic, as the pandemic not only increased the number of people requiring support but also changed the hierarchy of problems that need to be addressed. There is no doubt that the pandemic, which instilled uncertainty and fear for the future, also expanded the spectrum of perceived threats. The pandemic period made social workers realize that social work should broaden its scope to include support for those who, while being self-sufficient in daily activities, experience anxiety and fear of potential dangers, require assistance after losing loved ones, and need new professional interventions to alleviate grief, fear, and helplessness.

Therefore, the discussion about the contemporary role of social work in a world marked by external threats (wars, conflicts, terrorism) and internal threats (diseases, epidemics, pandemics, inadequate healthcare) is necessary and should focus on exploring not only new forms of support but also preventive measures.

There are several ways to address social problems and crisis situations within social work. These include the development of new roles for social workers, expanding the scope of existing roles, and redefining traditional responsibilities to focus on activities aimed at reducing discomfort caused by multi-problematic situations. The emergence of new roles requires a broader perspective on social issues, particularly hidden problems whose consequences are more difficult to remedy.

The discussion on strengthening the significance of social work and enhancing the prestige of the social worker profession has been ongoing for many years. However, it takes on special importance in times of increasing threats and decreasing psychological resilience—especially among children, adolescents, and young adults, as evidenced by research diagnosing the well-being of Poles.

We invite you to participate in a thematic discussion group covering the following topics:

Assessing sociological knowledge on contemporary threats and social uncertainty, identifying areas of ignorance, and the need for further research..

Innovative prevention models in social work as a challenge in the era of global threats. Preventive measures and cooperation with other helping professions.

A professional crisis intervention support system based on collaboration with other specialists, also addressing the needs of communities excluded from communication and technology.

New institutional approaches in the social assistance system, such as mental health support centers and the development of new roles for social workers.

Type of group:
sekcja Pracy Socjalnej regularna

Name and surname of the applicant:
Mariola Bieńko, Uniwersytet Warszawski

Co-authors:
Iwona Przybył, Uniwersytet im. Adama Mickiewicza w Poznaniu,
Beata Szluz, Uniwersytet Rzeszowski

New studies on family emphasise the necessity to explore individual practices and narratives regarding the gender and sexuality of its members.  In the era of ‘new individualism,’ we are witnessing processes of destandardisation, detraditionalisation, personalisation, and privatisation of family practices, marked by new types of risks and uncertainties.  Within this framework, there are independent projects on gender identity and scenarios of sexual relationships, based on flexibility, creativity, and openness to risk. Representatives of the neo-liberal theory of happiness emphasise the moral imperative and economic asset of self-improvement. The individual becomes the entrepreneurial self in the realm of intimate practices of everyday life. Reflexivity provides individuals with the illusion of empowerment; the system of family norms and values competes with the influence of formal education, the media, advertising and therapeutic institutions.

     A sociological reflection on the phenomena of gender and sexuality, as well as the related expressive practices of intimacy in family life, is proposed.  Sexuality is nowadays becoming a fundamental key to an individual’s identity, a condition for understanding social relations, intimacy, and eroticism.  It is interpreted as a type of socio-cultural narrative around which instruments of institutional activities and discursive strategies have been developed. The effect of changes in sexual morality is a diversification of attitudes towards engaging in sexual activity, and modification relating to what is public and what is private in the scope of sex, sexuality, and corporeality.  In this context, it seems legitimate to ask whether the family of today has a regulatory function in relation to the realised model of sexual activity, beliefs about the desired pattern of sexual life, and the treatment of partners in an intimate relationship.   An important theme is the portrayal of sex education in the private and public spheres. We are not only referring to communication on matters of sex and sexuality between children and adults (parents, teachers). Equally interesting is the attempt to show how children and adolescents, as well as representatives of older generations, navigate the sometimes contradictory discourses in the public sphere, seeking to understand (provide meaning, significance to) their own gender and sexuality.

The presence or absence of messages on sexual health, contraception, new reproductive techniques, sexual violence, as well as sexual and gender non-normative behaviour implies a multitude of psychosocial, legal-political, ethical-moral, or socio cultural problems. All interested parties are invited to discuss these issues.

Proposed areas of theoretical and empirical analyses include:

  • problematisation of sexual identity and intimate relationships in the light of selected concepts and theories of family life
  • ethical and methodological issues related to exploring the topic of sex and sexuality in research involving family members, especially children.
  • transformation of intimacy in family life
  • gender and sexuality in families; definitions and redefinitions
  • heteronormative and non-heteronormative patterns of family relationships
  • analysis of the results of research into sexual morality within different generations
  • mechanisms of family construction of sexual norms and criteria for evaluating the sexual sphere in the life of an individual
  • expert and family system of control over the gender and sexuality of men and women 
  • family versus institutional, media-based sexual socialisation
  • importance of sexual activity in the lives of elderly family members

Type of group:
Sekcja Socjologii Życia Rodzinnego i Intymności regularna

Name and surname of the applicant:
Wojciech Sadłoń Uniwersytet Kardynała Stefana Wyszyńskiego

Co-authors:
Marta Kołodziejska, Uniwersytet Warszawski

Abstract:
Polish Catholicism, which has shaped its national and cultural identity for centuries, today faces a number of challenges that require flexibility, adaptability and the ability to discern changing conditions. Globalization, secularization, migration and a number of internal crises, such as the sexual abuse cases, are challenging the Church not only to adapt its structures, but also to redefine its social and cultural meaning.

We invite researchers conducting research on both the institutional adaptation strategies of the Catholic Church in Poland and the social and cultural challenges that affect the religious life of the faithful. We would like to look at the processes of taming the risks that become spaces of negotiation between tradition and modernity, community and individualism, stability and change. We are particularly interested in the mechanisms that allow Catholicism in Poland to preserve the continuity of its tradition while responding to the challenges of the modern world. At the same time, critical perspectives on the institutional and communal strategies of adaptation will be a valuable addition to the discussion.

In the context of these transformations, the importance of a therapeutic culture that permeates contemporary forms of spirituality and redefines the role of religion in the lives of individuals seems crucial. The faithful increasingly expect the Church to respond to their emotional and psychological needs, leading to the creation of new forms of pastoral care and the reinterpretation of traditional rituals. Equally important is the role of digitalization, which is opening up new spaces for religious participation. Online communities, broadcast liturgies, religious apps and digital forms of evangelization are changing the ways in which faith is experienced, while raising questions about the authenticity of such experiences and the future of church institutions in the digital world.

In the group, we also want to address questions about the adaptation strategies of Catholic individuals and communities in the face of contemporary crises and global and local transformations. What risks are seen as crucial in the Polish context? How does Catholicism respond to changing cultural norms and social expectations? Which challenges are associated with global processes, and which are connected to local specificities? Catholicism in Poland, finding itself in the space between stability and transformation, becomes a fascinating research object for those who want to explore its transformation in the face of contemporary risks and tensions.

Type of group:
regularna międzyośrodkowa

Name and surname of the applicant:
Sylwia Męcfal, Uniwersytet Łódzki

Co-authors:
Adrianna Surmiak, Uniwersytet Warszawski
Beata Bielska, Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu

Abstract:
In recent decades, we have seen an increase in the risk of social crises (Beck 2012). In addition, we are seeing an overlap between social crises and their effects, the so-called polycrisis phenomenon. Consequently, the question of how to conduct research during crises becomes crucial to both the wellbeing of those involved and the quality of the research. Our initial research on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the conduct of research indicates that researchers lacked guidance on how to answer this question.

The pandemic significantly changed the hierarchy of research techniques used and demonstrated the variety of ethical approaches used. (Surmiak et al 2021, Kalinowska et al. 2022, Męcfal et al. 2023, Bielska et al. 2024). Furthermore, scientific articles on research during the pandemic show a clear shift towards remote techniques (remote interviews, instant messaging interviews or online observations, e.g. Teti, Schatz, Liebenberg 2020; Melis, Sala, Zaccaria 2022; Walker, Williams, Bowdre 2021). The pandemic has also made some researchers more ethically conscious. For example, Bethany Van Brown (2020) formulated the concept of methics (i.e. a combination of the words ‘method’ and ‘ethics’) to emphasise that research ethics should be as important, if not more important, than the research methods used during the pandemic.

The war in Ukraine, on the other hand, has prompted many researchers to consider the secondary traumatisation of research subjects, such as providing access to psychological counselling or supervision/interviews. For example, Anna Wylegala (2022) makes specific research and ethical recommendations for research teams. These recommendations discuss, among other things, the risk of retraumatisation, the inclusion of representatives of the research group in the research team, the requirement for researchers to be fluent in Ukrainian or Russian, the team’s collaboration with a psychologist, additional post-interview discussion on the pseudonymisation of sensitive data and the support of female researchers. Similar in nature was the ‘Appeal to those engaging in forced migration research to apply the highest ethical standards of research’ (Łukasiewicz et al. 2022) prepared by the Polish migration research community.

We invite submissions of analyses based on projects conducted during different crises: the COVID-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine, the Polish-Belarusian border, floods, financial crises, in particular comparing applied solutions in different research projects. We also encourage presentations on projects conducted outside Poland, which discuss not only methodological/ethical, but also organisational/institutional, legal or psychological challenges.

In our opinion, systematic research and discussions with scholars on this topic would not only be a good basis for expanding ethical and research knowledge and reflexivity but would also be helpful for decision-making by various actors (including scholars, ethics committees and grant-giving institutions).

Type of group:
regular inter-centre

Name and surname of the applicant:
Marta Rawłuszko, Uniwersytet Warszawski

Co-authors:
Katarzyna Dzwonkowska-Godula, Uniwersytet Łódzki;
Magdalena Grabowska, Instytut Filozofii i Socjologii Polskiej Akademii Nauk;
Marta Rawłuszko, Uniwersytet Warszawski

Abstract:
The thematic group aims to discuss the relationship between reproductive justice, social reproduction, state policies, capitalism and democratization practices. In the context of the growing influence of the radical right, anti-gender movements and ultra-conservative forces, as well as mass feminist mobilizations, processes of reconfiguring the concepts of citizenship, agency and subjectivity towards definitions that take into account the political and social dimensions of reproductive choices, are becoming more apparent. Resistance to the legitimization of reproductive justice and the recognition of the value of reproductive work exposes individuals, social groups and social movements to an increased risk of criminalization, exclusion and violence, including institutional violence by the state. The various dangers and accumulating poly-crises in the economic, political, and cultural spheres that modern societies face raise questions about their impact on social reproduction practices. What is at stake is the sustainability of human life and social survival. 

Within the thematic group, we will reflect on the analytical potential, challenges and limitations of applying the theory of social reproduction and reproductive justice to describe and understand these contemporary dynamics. Social Reproduction Theory (SRT) situates contemporary struggles for reproductive rights within a debate about the “unwilling dependency” between capitalist production and the people, processes and institutions involved in producing and sustaining life. The focus is on the activities and resources necessary for the reproduction of people and a specific social formation, and in the context of capitalism, on the processes of “producing and reproducing workers” that are a prerequisite for the capitalist accumulation process (Bhattacharya, 2017). At the same time, SRT analyzes the value of labour perfomed by various social groups and movements to create better conditions for social reproduction and explores how social reproduction as labour can be analyzed through the devaluation and revaluation of various characteristics of the people performing it, including gender, age, health conditions, and race (Ferguson, 2019). The last, important for us category – reproductive justice – concerns systemic inequalities and barriers that shape individual subjectivity and reproductive agency within existing social hierarchies and micro- and macro-power relations (Ross, Solinger 2017). This approach takes into account how legal (e.g. abortion law or labour code), economic, social and cultural factors (e.g. beliefs about gender roles) intersectionally influence individual and collective reproductive experiences. 

Examining the broad spectrum of reproduction-related issues, we will create space for discussion on the conceptual scope and research usefulness of these categories in the current social context. We invite the researchers who address the following theoretical and empirical issues in their research:  

  • Local and global dimensions of issues and actions related to reproductive justice and reproductive labour. 
  • Reproductive labour and reproductive justice in legal and social policy perspectives,  
  • Neoliberal capitalism and reproductive labour, upholding and challenging the norms that regulate reproduction in capitalist societies  
  • Reproductive labour and gender, care, visibility, renumeration and precariousness of reproductive labour,  
  • Health, care, safety in the context of reproductive labour and reproductive justice,  
  • Institutional violence in the area of social reproduction, necropolitics, wasted lives,  
  • Social resourcefulness, strategies of resistance and mobilisation, activism for reproductive justice and recognition of the value of reproductive labour,  
  • Sociocultural barriers and social inequalities in the area of social reproduction from an intersectional perspective,  
  • Subjectivity and reproductive agency in an intersectional perspective,  
  • Actions to eliminate or mitigate the risks associated with the implementation of reproductive justice and the recognition of reproductive work,  

Type of group:
grupa Sekcji Socjologii Płci, regularna

Name and surname of the applicant:
Barbara Jancewicz, Uniwersytet Warszawski

Co-authors:
Anna Kuczyńska z Collegium Civitas, 
Sara Bojarczuk, Uniwersytet Warszawski

Abstract:
In an era of increasing migration and social inequality, discrimination in the rental and labour markets carries the risk of progressive marginalization of selected social groups. Employment and accommodation are fundamental components of individual lives, their location and conditions within them impact life opportunities, mental well-being, and social inclusion. As a result, this phenomenon affects both the discriminated groups and the social cohesion Discrimination is a complex phenomenon, requiring in-depth scientific analysis that takes into account the perspectives of various social actors – both discriminated groups and those who (consciously or unconsciously) participate in discriminatory practices. At the same time, the urgent need to counteract its negative effects requires the development of effective practical solutions based on reliable empirical research.

This panel focuses on the analysis of mechanisms, forms and consequences of discrimination, with particular emphasis on new dimensions of risk and challenges arising in the context of technological development and social transformation. We invite submissions presenting the results of empirical research (quantitative or qualitative) and theoretical considerations regarding, among others:

  • forms of discrimination (e.g., statistical discrimination or taste-based discrimination; indirect and direct discrimination);
  • mechanisms of discrimination (the degree of discrimination awareness and factors conducive to its occurrence);
  • hierarchy and intersectionality of discrimination in the rental and labour market (e.g., groups marginalised due to gender, ethnicity, family situation, sexual orientation, education);
  • the impact of new technologies and digitisation on discriminatory processes (e.g., the impact of remote work, e.g., moving advertisements and recruitment to the online channels);
  • research methodologies on discrimination in the context of changing social realities;
  • mechanisms and adaptive strategies of groups experiencing discrimination;
  • institutional and legal mechanisms to counteract discrimination;
  • the effects of discrimination on selected social groups and society as a whole (e.g., impact on income inequality, geographical distribution).

Presentations combining the perspective of social risk with the analysis of discriminatory practices and presenting innovative methodological approaches to the study of these phenomena will be particularly valuable.

Type of group:
regularna

Name and surname of the applicant:
Witold Betkiewicz, Instytut Studiów Politycznych PAN

Co-authors:
Jerzy Bartkowski, Uniwersytet Warszawski

Abstract:
The group’s aim will be to discuss the main theoretical, methodological, and empirical trends in the social sciences dealing with elites – elite characteristics and their stability, persistence as well as the emergence of new elites and their function, role and place in society.

Traditional arguments for empirical research and theoretical reflection on elites, such as the analysis of conditions for the “consensually united democratic political elite” in the recent period, have been reinforced by current processes and phenomena that pose new tasks for elites. Fulfilling these duties will often require decision-making under conditions of increasing risk or uncertainty, under significant time pressure. These phenomena and processes include those in the field of international politics, such as Russia’s aggression against Ukraine or changes in the global political and economic balance of power, the impact of a new style of leadership in the USA, as well as those at the intersection of international and domestic politics, such as the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequences, and the influx of refugees. Significant influence on elite decisions also comes from longer-term processes for instance digital transformation and the development of new information technologies, resulting in profound transformations of society, economy, culture, and politics. In the Polish context, a challenge for the political elite shaped during the period of systemic transformation is—resulting from the growing wealth of society—the change in social expectations and the emergence on the list of needs goods and services from high places of Maslow’s needs hierarchy.  The mentioned phenomena and processes affected not only higher-level elites but also local and regional ones. National and local elites also faced non-standard challenges. The COVID-19 pandemic and the migration crisis caused by Ukraine’s defensive war had a broad impact. Elites accustomed to operating in a stable environment, where decision-making did not require haste and the consequences of potential errors were not evident, faced such challenges. We mention the above events and processes to emphasize that the context created by recent history reinforces the justification for conducting elite research in a situation of significant changes affecting society. We invite authors presenting papers that address the issue of elites at all levels and areas in their research and theoretical reflection, both researchers of Polish and foreign elites. The invitation is addressed to those who deal with the issue of elites directly, as well as those who analyse other processes and phenomena through the study of elites, using diverse theoretical and empirical perspectives and examining various aspects of their activity. We extend the proposal to researchers of various branches of elites, especially those segments about which knowledge is less systematized, such as media elites, including social media. The group will be an opportunity to discuss the latest theoretical approaches to elites and methodological reflection on research approaches and their application in the analysis and explanation of current social and political problems and processes.

Type of group:
międzyośrodkowa regularna

Name and surname of the applicant:
Katarzyna M. Wyrzykowska, Instytut Filozofii i Socjologii PAN

Co-authors:
Kamil Łuczaj, Uniwersytet Łódzki,
Justyna Kajta Instytut Nauk Społecznych, Uniwersytet SWPS w Warszawie

Abstract:
Compared to the United Kingdom or France, class language and class-based self-identifications are far less embedded in narratives about society and its divisions in Poland. This is linked to the distinct historical experiences of these countries, which influence the emotional and political connotations of the concept of “class”. Additionally, the post-transformation discourse has played a role in normalizing social inequalities and promoting the idea of meritocracy. When class is discussed in Polish public discourse, it predominantly refers to the middle class.

At the same time, in recent years, there has been growing interest among Polish social scholars in the renewed analysis of social classes in Poland. The use of class as both a primary research subject and an important explanatory category is becoming increasingly common in sociological studies. A notable cultural shift in class analysis, inspired mainly by Pierre Bourdieu’s work, has resulted in a greater emphasis on classed experiences and practices.

In this thematic session, we aim to highlight recent research focusing on social classes. We are interested in studies on class experiences (e.g., crossing class boundaries through upward mobility, reproducing class positions), social perceptions of class and the construction of class boundaries, media representations of class, as well as the impact of class divisions on various aspects of daily life, such as lifestyle, education, and cultural participation.

Thematic Scope

The session will cover, among others, the following topics:

• Social perceptions of class and the construction of class boundaries,

• Measuring class diversity and inequalities,

• Class-based determinants of educational and professional careers in Poland,

• Opportunities and barriers to social mobility in contemporary Poland,

• Intersectional approaches to class analysis,

• Social mobility in the context of systemic transformation and post-transformation,

• Mechanisms of social mobility, class reproduction, and strategies of resistance,

• Media discourses on social classes,

• Class cultures in the context of migration processes,

• Stratification of cultural practices and cultural hierarchies,

• Classes, political choices, and the sense of civic agency.

Type of group:
regular inter-centre

Name and surname of the applicant:
Magdalena Nowicka-Franczak, Uniwersytet Łódzki

Co-authors:
Adam Konopka, Uniwersytet Gdański

Abstract:
The modern individual is surrounded by constant talk of risk and uncertainty. Politicians keep democracy in a permanent crisis, while dictators seem to be growing in power. Wars rage just beyond the border, and victims of conflict, poverty, and violence knock at other people’s gates. The consequences of global economic rivalry are felt in citizens’ wallets, with news of embezzlement, financial pyramids, and cryptocurrencies dominating the market. Nature is also “retaliating” against humanity’s exploitation: reports of epidemics, floods, droughts, fires, and other effects of climate change have become a regular feature of the media agenda. In addition, there is concern about job security in the age of automation and artificial intelligence (AI), about reliable knowledge in a world threatened by fake news, about mental well-being – one’s own and that of loved ones – as well as meeting the visions of a “full life” that are constructed in various ways for different target groups in both traditional and social media.

In the field of public communication – especially in media discourse, including political, journalistic, and social movements’ discourse – risks and anxieties (or rather, their discursive representations) are not only conveyed, but also produced, intensified, and tamed. Public discourse thrives on themes that appeal to emotions of fear and uncertainty. This is not a new phenomenon. In 2001, a collective monograph entitled Niepokojąca współczesność (The Alarming Contemporary World) was published, edited by Kazimierz Kowalewicz and the late Anita Miszalska. The authors of the chapters analyzed not only the areas of concern and fear at the time but also the communicative mechanisms involved in creating risk diagnoses. Marek Czyżewski pointed out that the “alarming contemporary world” is a topos in public discourse. One can go even deeper – to the classic analyses of the language of political and media propaganda, discourses of anxiety, rhetoric of fear, conspiracy theories, and studies on the language of protest movements. What differentiates past and current analyses are the new actors in communication, such as internet personalities and popular digital profiles on one side, algorithms and AI on the other, and, thirdly, an audience that critically evaluates the messages. Additionally, there is a dynamic growth of discourses in the media that tame (often in an ambivalent way) the state of uncertainty: therapeutic, counseling, and coaching discourses.

We aim to pose the question of how to study contemporary public discourse, what both describes and produces spheres of risk and uncertainty. We are interested in the research potential of sociology, as well as the possibilities of combining it with studies conducted in other fields of science.

We invite contributions on topics such as:

  • Anxiety and fear as tools for deepening or mitigating social divisions.
  • Areas of risk and uncertainty in the context of public discourse in Poland and globally: the state of democracy, security, the condition of the planet, economic well-being, mental health, etc.;
  • Changes in the alarming contemporary world: new forms and recurring patterns in public discourse;
  • Theoretical frameworks and inspirations for public communication research regarding the disturbing present;
  • Reflection on methodologies for communication and discourse research on risk and uncertainty;
  • The role of media and public discourse in constructing alarming visions of reality;
  • Discourses of symbolic elites and social movements in the face of threats and anxieties;
  • Technological aspects of media in public communication research;
  • Communicative ways of taming people with risk and uncertainty, including in therapeutic, counseling, and coaching discourses;

Type of group:
regularna Sekcja Badań Komunikacji Społecznej

Name and surname of the applicant:
Jakub Motrenko, Uniwersytet Warszawski

Co-authors:
Agnieszka Kolasa-Nowak, Uniwersytet Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej w Lublinie

Abstract:
Sociologists and representatives of related disciplines, including scholars mainly associated with important theoretical achievements, recognised the practical nature of the knowledge they produced. Many researchers treated the application of knowledge as an additional activity motivating them to work, an element of the scientific ethos or a civic duty. Expert knowledge became particularly important in moments of social crises and rapid change, when established ways of doing things proved insufficient. In liberal democracies, also defined as knowledge societies, decision-makers limited the scope of their power, shifting it into the hands of experts. However, the role of the expert infrastructure was gaining importance in all modernising societies, not only in democracies, and knowledge encompassed not only issues concerning natural systems, but also social, economic and cultural systems. Supranational expert organisations, so-called epistemic communities, also emerged, influencing the policies of sovereign states.

 Social researchers have provided expert reports commissioned by governments and local authorities, social movements, political circles and parties, local communities, small businesses and large corporations, NGOs and international organisations, think tanks, churches, private and public research institutes, rebels and opposition figures. They formulated big political ideas and produced descriptive reports on well-defined phenomena, produced diagnoses on current situations and forecasts for the future, and balanced between providing facts and interpreting them, giving clear guidance to decision-makers, or confining themselves to presenting them with options for action. Some researchers retained a strong connection to scientific institutions, while others held positions in various levels of administration or social organisations, among others. Some treated this as additional duties, others became full-time advisors, rotating among political or economic decision-makers. They acted individually, co-founded advisory bodies, and created institutions-interfaces connecting the world of science with other social worlds.

The role of experts is still important today. It even sometimes seems to dominate over the purely cognitive one, creating many new phenomena on the borderline between the university and its socio-economic or political environment. There are voices pointing to a weakening of the autonomy of the academy in the face of the imperative of usefulness and applicability of the scientific knowledge produced. Finally, acting as experts involves problems of multiple

We invite scholars of the past and contemporary history of sociology and other social sciences to participate in the panel with papers developing case studies, comparative studies, empirical and theoretical syntheses. We also invite researchers of contemporary phenomena occurring at the frontiers of expert science. Sample topics for papers may answer the following questions: what motivations drove scholars entering into advisory roles?, how did different regimes of knowledge condition the type of expertise prepared?, how did the involvement in expertise prepared for different social actors differ?, by what institutional, rhetorical, etc. means was the authority of experts upheld?, how was the expertise of sociologists publicly challenged?, can the influence of ideas developed by researchers on policies implemented be ascertained? Etc.

Type of group:
regularna międzysekcyjna Sekcja Historii Socjologii, Sekcja Socjologii Nauki

Name and surname of the applicant:
Kamil Filipek Uniwersytet Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej w Lublinie

Co-authors:
Anna Turner, IFiS PAN

Abstract:
Wyzwania metodologiczne socjologii cyfrowej Człowiek zawsze wypowiadał sądy wartościujące ponad swój stan i realne możliwości. Oznacza to tylko, że każdy czas ma swoją rację, z którą można się zgadzać lub nie zgadzać, ale którą pierwej trzeba zrozumieć. Stanisław Lem, Summa technologiae Cywilizacja oparta na wiedzy i zależna od technologii, niesie dla socjologii, coraz bardziej złożone wyzwania metodologiczne. Ślad cyfrowy pozostawiany przez użytkowników smartfonów, smartwatchów, mediów społecznościowych czy aplikacji do obsługi inteligentnego domu, generuje niekontrolowany przyrost różnorodnych danych, których analiza wymaga nowoczesnych podejść a także krytycznego spojrzenia na te nowe źródła informacji, podatne na uprzedzenia algorytmiczne, ograniczenia dostępu czy problemy z reprezentatywnością. Jak w tych warunkach zachować rzetelność naukową i wyciągać trafne wnioski na temat zjawisk społecznych? Największy wpływ na warsztat socjologa cyfrowego ma rozwój metod sztucznej inteligencji. Algorytmy i narzędzia dedykowane do analizy języka naturalnego (ang. natural language processing) oraz obrazu (ang. computer vision) otwierają przed badaczami nowe możliwości w zakresie analizy tekstów, obrazów czy predykcji zachowań. Coraz częstsze wykorzystanie takich modeli w procesie naukowym prowadzi do zmiany charakteru badań akademickich, ponieważ wydajność i automatyzacja zaczynają przeważać nad ludzkim doświadczeniem i krytyczną refleksją, która z tego wynika. W rezultacie, sztuczna inteligencja przesuwa punkt ciężkości badań z dociekań skoncentrowanych na człowieku na rozwiązywanie problemów opartych na analizie danych. Ta zmiana w kierunku analiz opartych na AI niesie ryzyko sprowadzenia badań akademickich do serii ćwiczeń technicznych, a badaczy do roli jedynie interpretatorów danych. Pojawiają się zatem pytania o granice automatyzacji i interpretacji wyników. Jakie konsekwencje niesie stosowanie takich technologii w badaniach społecznych? Jak pogodzić etykę badawczą z wykorzystaniem danych zebranych za pomocą metod AI? Jak radzić sobie z dylematami dotyczącymi prywatności, zgody na udział w badaniach i potencjalnych skutków społecznych wyników analiz? Sesja „Wyzwania metodologiczne socjologii cyfrowej” ma na celu integrację badaczy, którzy podejmują próbę odpowiedzi na tak sformułowane pytania.

Zapraszamy do wspólnej dyskusji nad sposobami adaptacji tradycyjnych metod badawczych do warunków cyfrowych, a także opracowywania innowacyjnych podejść, które łączą dorobek socjologii z osiągnięciami nauk technicznych. To przestrzeń do wymiany doświadczeń, inspiracji i wspólnego definiowania przyszłości metodologicznej socjologii w erze cyfrowej i AI.

Type of group:
regularna grupa Sekcji Socjologii Cyfrowej;

Name and surname of the applicant:
Anna Kacperczyk, Uniwersytet Łódzki

Co-authors:
Izabela Bukalska UKSW, Dominik Porczyński, Uniwersytet Rzeszowski

Abstract:
Reflexivity, a feature of modern, post-, or late-modern society (Beck, Lash, Giddens, 2006), prompts us to constantly look at the processes taking place and reflect on the place and function of individual institutions. It does not bypass the social sciences. For over three decades, transparency has been deconstructed, and the entanglement of sociology and cultural anthropology with colonial practices and servility to power has been demonstrated. At the same time, despite their repeated demonstration since the 19th century of the specificity of the social sciences, they are constantly evaluated from the perspective of scientistic and positivist paradigms, which for policymakers and sponsors are treated as the model of science-objective and value-free. There is also an increasing emphasis on utilitarianism. The liberal reforms wrought on the Polish academy included demands for social impact – researchers are to come out of their “ivory towers” and perform a servant function for society. Without undermining the rationality of limited financial resources, it is worth noting at the same time that part of society does not want to listen to something that does not confirm so-called “common sense knowledge.”

A look at the entanglement of the social sciences in the relationship between power, the market, and society seems to be of particular importance given the fact of the increasingly pronounced entanglement of business and politics, which is capable of effectively subordinating the public sphere to the interests of a narrow group and undermining the achievements in climate protection and social rights. Also worrisome is the resurgence of ideologies that, as history has shown, treat science instrumentally.

The group’s theme is intended to encourage reflection on the place and mission of sociology in contemporary society. Asking Howard S. Becker’s (1967) classic question, “Whose side are we on?” (Whose Side Are We On?), we draw attention to the fact that the research problems chosen, the paradigms used, the methods, and ethical decisions have specific consequences. Are those conducting the research acting to benefit the institutions funding it? Are they pursuing their own interests and cognitive or financial needs? Do they want to help those participating in the research? Or do they want to provide policymakers with the knowledge and tools to solve a social problem? It raises more profound questions: for whom is the phenomenon a problem, and what are its causes? Who do we represent in the knowledge we produce? And can we remain impartial? 

We invite papers addressing the following questions:

– the identity of the sociologist and the frontier work that sustains it;

– The mission of the social sciences – interpretations; 

– social perceptions of the role of the sociologist;

– arenas of dispute in the social world of sociological knowledge production;

– The negotiable order of the academy in the face of cultural and technological change;

– Ethical dilemmas in dealing with political and business actors;

– Ethical dilemmas in dealing with research subjects (knowledge producers);

– Power relations in a research situation; 

– giving voice to the “silenced”;

– The concept of representation in qualitative research;

– Relations of sociologists with other knowledge-producing communities;

– (professional-practitioners, journalists, reporters);

– the place of the sociologist-researcher in participatory research and citizen science.

Type of group:
regularna Sekcja Socjologii Jakościowej i Symbolicznego Interakcjonizmu

Name and surname of the applicant:
Marek Rymsza, Uniwersytet Warszawski

Co-authors:
Arkadiusz Karwacki, Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika w Toruniu

Abstract:
The current modernisation challenge for welfare states is the development of a third pillar of the ‘welfare infrastructure’, in addition to labour market regulation and social transfers within the framework of social security, namely social services. Social services are intended to ensure that social welfare, as measured by indicators of economic and social development, translates into the well-being of citizens, as measured by quality of life indicators. The development of social services leads to the recalibration of European social policies, taking into account new social risks (e.g. job insecurity and instability, feelings of loneliness, especially in the final stages of life), the spread of new technologies (IT, AI), the loosening of social ties and changing lifestyles. What distinguishes social services from the functioning of other pillars of welfare infrastructure is the need for them to be embedded in the community (the principle of decentralisation), so that the use of services enables people to function in their social environments, regardless of age, level of ability or family situation. The key task of public services, civil sector organisations and market entities is to co-create (the principle of the welfare mix) local service systems offering the general public (the principle of universality) integrated support (the principle of one stop shop), including packages of ‘tailor-made’ services (personalisation principle), taking into account the expectations and preferences of residents (responsiveness principle), provided by specialists representing various professions, trades and support specialities (professionalisation principle), using the resources of local communities (community-based approach). Investments in the development of community-based social services are being made in many European countries, which is confirmed at the level of the European Union agenda in the promotion of policies of deinstitutionalisation of assistance measures. The invitation to speak in the session is addressed to researchers interested in linking the programming of public policies of general social welfare (macro level) with the welfare of individuals (micro level), especially in the organisation and implementation of social services, and the related changes in the functioning of traditional (and semi-professional) care professions and the emergence of new professions and specialisations. It is also an invitation to share the results of studies on the functioning of local support systems and institutions facing the challenge of deinstitutionalisation.

Type of group:
regular inter-centre

Name and surname of the applicant:
Maria Nawojczyk AGH Kraków

Co-authors:
Jarosław Chodak, UMCS

Abstract:
Algorithms, datafication, and artificial intelligence are revolutionizing the economy, challenging existing market models and raising questions about the future of capitalism. Both platform business models and the increasingly widespread use of artificial intelligence are having a significant impact on economic practices and processes. These changes are leading to a fundamental transformation of traditional market economies. Numerous studies document this process, as well as attempts to define the new face of capitalism, an example of which is the concept of “surveillance capitalism.”

The monopolistic practices of large technology companies are controversial. In the context of these changes, it is reasonable to ask whether we are still dealing with a market economy and what regulatory mechanisms shape it. It is worth considering whether it is possible to distinguish regional types of this economy or whether it is dominated by processes of global standardization. It is therefore crucial to understand how new technologies redefine the rules of the economic game. This issue will be the main topic of our discussions within the working group.

We propose the following directions for discussion:

• Which technologies (AI, blockchain, automation) have the greatest impact on current economic transformations?

• What are the key features of the new digital economy and how is its nature changing?

• Who (technology corporations, governments, algorithms) has the greatest influence on the direction and pace of change in the economy?

• What challenges does the digital economy pose to democracy (privacy, freedom of speech, inequality)?

• What are the social consequences of economic transformation (income inequality, technological unemployment, changes in social structure)?

• How is automation changing the employment structure? What new skills are needed in the labor market?

• How to redefine education systems to prepare people for the new economic reality? • What are the ethical challenges of AI development and application (algorithmic discrimination, responsibility for machine decisions)?

Type of group:
regularna, międzyośrodkowa grupa sekcji Socjolgii Ekonomicznej

Name and surname of the applicant:
Katarzyna Górniak, Politechnika Warszawska

Co-authors:
Agnieszka Golczyńska-Grondas, Uniwersytet Łódźki

Abstract:
Proponujemy, by przedmiotem refleksji stały się doświadczenia biograficzne związane z pomocą i wsparciem w czasach zwielokrotnionego i niekoniecznie oswojonego ryzyka. Zrozumienie istoty różnorodnych działań pomocowych, w tym uwarunkowań współczucia wobec Innego wydaje się kluczowe w obecnej sytuacji społeczno-politycznej, w obliczu polikryzysu, w szczególności w związku z kolektywną traumą wywołaną pandemią Covid-19, wybuchem pełnoskalowej wojny oraz napływem uciekinierek i uciekinierów z Ukrainy, czy też kryzysem humanitarnym na granicy polsko-białoruskiej. W szczególności w przypadku inwazji rosyjskiej na Ukrainę obserwujemy w społeczeństwie polskim zmiany postaw wobec osób potrzebujących pomocy – od „festiwalu współczucia” zimą i wiosną 2022 roku do narastającej niechęci wobec przebywających w Polsce obywateli i obywatelek Ukrainy. Kategorię Innego postrzegamy przy tym bardzo szeroko, ponieważ koncentrujemy się na analizie relacji pomiędzy pomagającymi a tymi, który pomoc otrzymują. Interesuje nas przede wszystkim doświadczenie „codziennych” praktyk wsparcia i współczucia, realizowanych zarówno przez osoby zawodowo pomagające innym w ramach helping professions (lekarzy, terapeutów, pracowników socjalnych, pracowników organizacji pozarządowych etc.), działań podejmowanych przez aktywistki i aktywistów społeczeństwa obywatelskiego, którego ożywienie obserwujemy od czasu pandemii i rządów Zjednoczonej Prawicy, czy też działania „zwykłych ludzi”, np. opiekunek i opiekunów osób zależnych i osób zaangażowanych społecznie w wymiarze lokalnym. Uwzględniamy zatem wymiar pracy „rutynowej”, jak i obywatelskiego zaangażowania oraz praktyk wynikających z osobistych, bliskich więzi. Z drugiej strony, uwzględnić chcemy perspektywę tych, którzy i które pomoc otrzymują jako pacjentki pacjenci, użytkowniczki i użytkownicy usług, klientki i klienci, wychowankowie i wychowanki instytucji, czy też uciekinierki i uciekinierzy lub/i ludzie w drodze. Działania zakładające współczucie wobec Innego wydają się mieć szczególne znaczenie dla pracy biograficznej i pracy tożsamościowej aktorek i aktorów społecznych powiązanych relacją wsparcia. Istotne są tu także kwestie systemów wartości i dylematów etycznych odzwierciedlających się w doświadczeniach biograficznych.

Type of group:
regularna grupa Sekcji Badań Biograficznych międzyośrodkowa

Name and surname of the applicant:
Dariusz Brzeziński Instytut Filozofii i Socjologii PAN

Co-authors:
Małgorzata Winiarska-Brodowska – Jagiellonian University

Abstract:
In 2017, Jean Twenge published her famous book “iGen”, in which she presented the results of a study dedicated to the generation of people born between 1995 and 2012. Twenge analysed the impact of the widespread availability of the internet and smartphones on the values, attitudes and practices of young people. Today, eight years after the publication of “iGen”, technological change has greatly accelerated. The development of new communication platforms and the spread of AI-based solutions – including GenAI – raises the question of the consequences of the current technological revolution on social and cultural change. This applies both to people born in recent years – whom we propose to refer to as AIGen – but also to representatives of other generations. We would like to encourage a discussion on how contemporary technological changes are shaping the foundations of future society. We propose to reflect, among other things, on the following issues: – the impact of the process of algorithmisation on the values and attitudes of the young generation; – technologically induced social and cultural transformations; – utopian and dystopian visions of the algorithmic society of the future; – the new ways of leveraging technology for communication, collaboration, and education; – the question of trust and responsibility in the algorithmic condition. We invite proposals for presentations of empirical or theoretical research focused on the role and significance of technology in social life, as well as the interplay between human agency and advanced artificial intelligence systems. The group is organised by: – dr hab. Dariusz Brzeziński, prof. IFiS PAN – Institute of Philosophy and Sociology of the Polish Academy of Sciences – dr Małgorzata Winiarska-Brodowska – Jagiellonian University, Faculty of Management and Social Communication

Type of group:
regularna międzyośrodkowa grupa Sekcji Socjologii Cyfrowej

Name and surname of the applicant:
Krzysztof Puchalski, Krajowe Centrum Promocji Zdrowia w Miejscu Pracy, Instytut Medycyny Pracy im. prof. J. Nofera, Łódź; SSZiM PTS,

Co-authors:
Agnieszka Borowiec Instytut Psychiatrii i Neurologii, Warszawa; SSZiM PTS
Małgorzata Synowiec-Piłat Fundacja Kreatywnie dla Zdrowia, Wrocław, SSZiM PTS

Abstract:
The concept of health risk and its factors is firmly established in the sociology of health and medicine. It became popular along with the processes of dissemination of non-communicable chronic diseases (so-called civilization diseases) among the main causes of death, with complex and ambiguously defined aetiology. It replaced or became complementary to the concept of the causes of disease, which are difficult to precisely isolate in chains of interdependent phenomena. Along with the changes in the socially accepted definition of health, i.e. going beyond the lack of biologically understood disease and entering the area of ​​psychosocial, spiritual phenomena, the area of ​​quality of life or individually experienced well-being, the concept of health risk and the catalogue of factors related to it are gradually expanding. These processes have been described, among others, in the sociological concepts of “risk society” (Beck, 2002) or “health society” (Kickbusch, 2005). The perception of health issues in the context of risk was popularized in society by the neoliberal slogan “your health in your hands”, which was associated with the concept of behavioural risk factors, including a short list of behaviours related to physical activity, diet, recreation, stimulants or health check. Highlighting the role of these factors, while marginalizing others (including socio-structural, environmental, political, economic, cultural) had numerous social consequences. These include, among others, underestimating the threats associated with traditional infectious diseases, which was clearly revealed by the COVID-19 pandemic. It also burdened individuals with the main responsibility for their health, which helped justify the inefficiency of social policies and the medical care system and supported the neoliberal political option. Naming these factors – contrary to the position of many sociologists – with the collective name of lifestyle led to the elimination of the sociological issues contained in this concept from the reflection of health sciences. The social perception of health risk – its probability, potential impact, sources, and susceptibility – is associated with both objective changes in factors affecting health, and changes and diversity of social contexts: cultural trends, economic interests, political options, scientific paradigms, etc. While health risks resulting from rapid climate change, the development of the Internet, artificial intelligence, and antibiotic resistance are relatively new challenges, the way in which epidemics, war, poverty, and social inequalities are perceived as health risks changes depending on the social context, although these phenomena constantly accompany humanity. During the session, we want to find answers to the following questions, among others: Is the development of scientific knowledge the only or the most important factor in directing attention to a specific health risk? What other sources or types of knowledge legitimize health risk? What is the social reception of various types of messages about health risk? What social mechanisms make certain risks perceived or publicized, while other risks are marginalized or hidden? What is the social distribution of objectively occurring and perceived health risks and their various factors? Do and how do different social groups attempt to cope with information about health risks and with the risks themselves? What are the social and health consequences of the differential distribution of risks, knowledge about them, and different coping strategies?

Type of group:
regularna grupa Zarządu Sekcji Socjologii Zdrowia i Medycyny PTS

Name and surname of the applicant:
Michał Kotnarowski Instytut Filozofii i Socjologii PAN

Co-authors:
Joanna Konieczna-Sałamatin, Uniwersytet Warszawski

Abstract:
The thematic group focuses on analysing social changes in Poland since 1989 in an international and dynamic context. We are interested in the extent to which social processes in Poland are unique and to what extent they are shared with other countries in Europe and the world. Analyses combining a dynamic and comparative perspective will be of particular interest.
The dynamic perspective is understood as an analysis of changes over time, while the comparative perspective allows for comparing phenomena and processes taking place in Poland with analogous processes in other European and non-European countries. The key questions concern the uniqueness of Polish transformations and their similarities to phenomena observed, for example, in the region of Central and Eastern Europe or other European countries or countries outside of Europe.
We are interested in transformations in various spheres of social life, such as values, norms, attitudes towards others, religiosity, and trust in institutions or the political system. We are also looking forward to presentations on changes in political activity (associated and not associated with electoral behaviour), as well as various types of social activity. We are also interested in studies on changes in social structure, changes in stratification, or broadly understood transformations in the composition of Polish society. The outlined thematic area is quite broad, but what all presentations have in common is, on the one hand, the dynamics of the processes taking place in Poland and, on the other hand, the adoption of a comparative perspective.
We invite analyses based on data from international research projects in which Poland has participated for years, such as the European Social Survey, the European Values Study, the International Social Survey Programme or the Polish Panel Survey POLPAN. We are also open to qualitative, ethnographic, discourse or other analyses – as long as they include a dynamic or comparative component.

Type of group:
regular inter-center

Name and surname of the applicant:
Katarzyna Zajda, Uniwersytet Łódzki

Co-authors:
Sylwia Urbańska, Uniwersytet Warszawski
Ilona Matysiak, Akademia Pedagogiki Specjalnej im. Marii Grzegorzewskiej;
Wojciech Goszczyński, Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika

Abstract:
The thematic group aims to integrate scholars whose research is related to broadly understood rurality.

We are interested in studies addressing new local and supra-local phenomena and processes. We assume that complex social challenges related to, among others, climate and population changes, culture, economy, and gender relations impact the trajectories of rural transformation. We are interested in how rural communities adapt, transform or protect themselves from such challenges. We encourage abstract submissions focused on:

a) The broadly understood natural environment: its relationship with the countryside andthe construction of what is natural and social. We will be interested in frictions and commonalities related to the processes of environmental protection and climate change; challenges related to agriculture and the natural environment, as well as attitudes, public policies and their bottom-up reception in society;

b) Places and their diversity: different types of villages and their transformations, place attachment, rural life conditions (housing, public services, health care, education, public policies and management), relations between rurality and urbanity;

c) People and processes: agency, social innovation, intersectionality in social practices (gender, race, class, age), mobility practices (refugees in the countryside), formal and informal forms of support for rural residents at risk of exclusion.

We encourage an integrative approach that goes beyond one subdiscipline and combines various perspectives, as well as theoretical and methodological traditions.

The group will be organized as a regular one. In case that a higher number of submissions are accepted, we will allow for “displayed presentations” providing their authors with time for brief, 5-minutes pitch.

Type of group:
grupa Sekcji Socjologii Wsi i Rolnictwa regularna

Name and surname of the applicant:
Aleksandra Nowakowska-Kutra, Uniwersytet Kazimierza Wielkiego

Co-authors:
dr Antonina Doroszewska, WUM

Abstract:
The changes of recent decades, both demographic (population aging, migration) and socio-economic (including growing inequalities, polarization, rivalry, culture of consumerism, cult of youth, vitality and efficiency, progress, technological revolution), are associated with numerous changes in the physical and mental condition of society, health behavior, health awareness, the relationship between those in need of help and/or medical care and the medical community capable of providing it. With easy access to medical knowledge, health literacy is increasing, and the patient him/herself is capable of a partnership/equal relationship with healthcare professionalsl, as well as a sustained commitment to maintaining his or her health. In addition, the patient’s expectations of the quality of the relationship with a health care professional (doctor, midwife, nurse, paramedic) are increasing. Both international experience, the influence of mass culture, as well as general changes in the area of prestige of professions, the commercialization of medical services, cause significant transformations in this area. Also of interest is the relationship between patient rights, which are enshrined in legal acts, and their implementation in social practice and legal awareness – both of medical personnel and patients themselves.
On the other hand, the importance of social inequality is highlighted. Some people are characterized by less awareness of taking care of their health and ways to stay fit, have limited access to health care, and during a medical consultation it is more difficult for them to articulate problems and needs an to understand the recommendations. The lack of adequate legal regulations and the popularity of social media, is associated with the increasing spread of false information (fake news) in the area of health and medicine, promotes the spread of non-medical methods of treatment and the activities of various healers. It is becoming crucial to develop health literacy, cultural capital, which can reduce social inequalities related to access to health care, to medical knowledge and to contact with health care professionals. They can reduce the level of stigmatization of sick people and help activate local communities on their behalf, which, while important and necessary, is still problematic. On the other hand, the message about health and medicine is shaped both by medical professionals, medical institutions and public administration bodies, whose tasks are increasingly related to health education, health promotion and prevention activities. For this reason, the importance of the communicative competence of those involved in shaping health activities and employees of medical institutions, especially healthcare professionals, is growing. The sessions of the thematic group are intended to provide an opportunity to discuss areas of sociological analysis of the communication process in and about medicine, social processes that affect this communication process, and the importance of sociological knowledge in shaping the communication competence of healthcare professionals.

Type of group:
regular inter-centre

Name and surname of the applicant:
Grzegorz Bryda, Uniwersytet Jagielloński / CAQDAS TM Lab

Co-authors:
Marek Troszyński, Collegium Civitas / NASK-PIB

Krzysztof Tomanek, Uniwersytet Jagielloński / Stowarzyszenie POLITES

Abstract:
The dynamic development of natural language processing (NLP) technologies and language models – large (LLM) and small (SLM) – is significantly changing the way research is conducted in the social and linguistic sciences. In response to these developments, a thematic group has been established to provide a space for the interdisciplinary exchange of theoretical and practical knowledge. This group focuses on the use of NLP tools in social research, data analysis and empirical implementation. The group will address key issues such as – Digital sociology: analysing the social and cultural aspects of NLP technologies, including the impact of large-scale language models on social processes, communication and social media interactions. – Corpus Linguistics: the construction and use of language corpora for text analysis, the study of language change, discourse analysis and cross-cultural issues. Integration of CAQDAS and NLP in research practice: application of qualitative data analysis technologies such as automatic coding, content analysis and thematic modelling. – Language models in practice: implementation and adaptation of large and small language models in specific research contexts, considering their capabilities, limitations and ethical challenges. – Legal and ethical aspects of NLP: transparency of algorithms, data provenance, datasets from a copyright perspective, data anonymisation, risks associated with the use of algorithms.
The group is aimed at both researchers and practitioners interested in the theoretical and practical use of language technologies in the social sciences. Participants will have the opportunity to present empirical research, discuss case studies and reflect on the future of NLP. Particular emphasis will be placed on the critical analysis of the impact of NLP on social processes, the ethical aspects of its applications, and the challenges of reproducing bias and inequality in language models. The group combines perspectives from sociology, computational linguistics, cognitive science, technology ethics and communication studies to build a comprehensive research approach. Collaborative discussions will include the use of language models for discourse analysis, social media and qualitative research; the creation and analysis of language corpora in the context of identifying linguistic and cultural change; and the integration of CAQDAS tools with NLP in automatic coding and content analysis. We welcome anyone interested in exploring the role of NLP and language models in shaping the future of social science. The group aims not only to share knowledge, but also to identify directions for technology development in sociological and linguistic contexts.

Type of group:
regularna międzyośrodkowa

Name and surname of the applicant:
Magdalena Gajewska, Uniwersytet Gdański

Co-authors:
Joanna Mizielińska, Collegium Civitas

Abstract:
Interspecies relations have been a subject of interest in the sociological community for many decades. The sociobiological view was and is one of its dimensions but not the only one. Thinking about those  Others close to us also implies a philosophical and political reflection on the anthropocentric paradigm and myth of the ‘rulership’ of omnipotent man. A myth that has embedded itself in the social sciences along with the idea of progress.

The turn towards equality in interspecies relations that we observe in Polish social reality still needs to be tamed and analysed in the social sciences. It implies the question of whether the worldview of Polish sociology is ready to reject the anthropocentric view. For it carries the risk of a paradigm shift by recognising the inadequacy of the positivist/patriarchal worldview and the ruthlessness of the methodological challenge to sociological cognition.

The proximity and ‘emancipatory turn of the previously liberated from the patriarchal worldview” towards other beings can no longer be treated as a peripheral phenomenon’ but should be recognised by sociology as a challenge to ‘tame the animalism’ of the social world.

 What is happening between humans and other species brings with it a lot of new tasks such as the constitution of a methodology for interspecies research, the analysis of emotional bonds, legal relations, the phenomena of violence and assistance, the construction of the family and herd, and the reference to cooperation with the natural sciences.

We invite researchers interested in:

  • research related to the positioning of non-human actors in the family relationship network; the role they play in creating and sustaining close relationships
  • interspecies research methodologies
  • an intersectional study of the social history of human-animal relations, how practices of creating everyday life have varied
  • an intersectional exploration of the contemporary dimensions of interspecies relations in everyday life, both with domesticated, farmed, and wild species
  • exploring processes of mutual taming of wildness’ between humans and animal refugees/exiles/migrants
  • interspecies family in an expert perspective
  • animal-assisted therapy, animals in therapy
  • legal responsibility and animal rights
  • investigating controversies and conflicts between the non-human animal world and humans
  • investigating the processes of cultural exclusion of species and the category of super-used/abused beings
  • the category of ‘selected’ species
  • investigating the processes of building interspecies bonds and intimacy in urban, rural, and ‘natural’ environments
  • exploring the risks of taming (anthropomorphising) the animal in everyday life
  • exploring borderline moments such as death and the killing of other animals
  • investigating processes of exclusion and marginalisation of selected species
  • investigating the ambivalence associated with the contemporary process of taming, e.g. that which accompanies the everyday ‘consumption of other animals’, the annihilation of biological-emotional bonds with loved ones – others

Type of group:
regular inter-centre

Name and surname of the applicant:
Krzysztof Bulkowski, Uniwersytet Warszawski

Co-authors:
Michał Federowicz, Instytut Filozofii i Socjologii PAN;
Serhii Terepyshchyi, Uniwersytet Państwowy im. Mychajła Drahomanowa, Kyiv

Abstract:
During the previous Polish Sociological Congress, a huge wave of war refugees from Ukraine arrived in Poland. The vast majority of Polish society, in a spontaneous reaction accompanying the actions of local governments and social organizations, tried to provide refugees with basic conditions for survival. At the 18th Polish Sociological Congress, an ad hoc group deliberated on how to efficiently undertake multiple studies of social processes occurring as a result of the unforeseen risk associated with war in a neighboring country. Solidarity reflexes were confirmed in actions taken on a large scale. Society rediscovered its agency. This was accompanied by an awareness of the difficult-to-predict risk of the war spreading. Along with women from Ukraine and their children, the tangible consequences of war and the accompanying sense of temporariness reached Poland.

Due to the war in Ukraine, the presence of migrants in Poland has increased dramatically, creating a new quality in the Polish perception of migration processes. A visible example of this is the participation of migrant children and youth in Polish schools and kindergartens, which increased about twenty-fold in 2022. While until January 2022, migrant students were mainly concentrated in large centers such as Warsaw, Cracow and Wroclaw, they currently attend about 12,000 schools throughout Poland, out of a total of 21,000 schools in the country. The participation of migrants is also felt on the labor market, with the Polish labor market proving to be the most open to refugees from Ukraine among all OECD countries. At the same time, numerous studies on relations in schools show that both communities, Polish and Ukrainian, exist “not really together”. The initial integration tendencies are replaced by assimilationist actions often unintentionally without being noticed. Moreover, the government’s migration strategy of 15.10.2024, entitled “Regaining Control. Ensure safety”, does not take into account the correlation between educational activities and integration activities, ignoring the potential of school relationships. Meanwhile, about 2/3 of immigrants are parents and their children; the experiences gained from Polish schools will affect their broader social relationships. Moreover, changes in Polish schools that would consistently strengthen social bonds and the ability to build relationships are conducive to improving the quality of education for all. Inclusive education is needed for everyone, and the presence of migrants is only an additional test of its functioning.

The thematic group refers to the aforementioned ad hoc activities during the previous Congress and the various research ideas that were born at that time. Many of them were successfully implemented. This was accompanied by the flexibility of funders, such as the Foundation for Polish Science. We see a need to link together of educational research, migration research, the labor market, oral history and other research fields that have been strengthened as a result of the sudden increase in the number of migrants in the Polish social landscape, but also the emergence of the previously unnoticed risk of war.

We invite researchers engaging in the broadly understood quality of education and the well-being of pupils and students, researchers of special educational needs, relational and inclusive education, as well as researchers of migration issues, authors of studies that address the issue of social cohesion in many ways, its relationship with security and development opportunities experienced both individually and socially. We are interested in searching for adequate concepts and building theories, as well as research aimed at activist actions, improving the functioning of institutions or developing adequate strategies. We would like to research, discuss and act not only ad hoc.

Type of group:
regularna międzyośrodkowa

Name and surname of the applicant:
Jerzy Stachowiak, Uniwersytet Łódzki

Co-authors:
Anna Radiukiewicz, ISPP PAN
Kacper Leśniewicz, Uniwersytet SWPS w Warszawie

Abstract:
Research on symbolic boundaries is more relevant today than ever before. These boundaries have long structured hierarchies of social classes, religious and ethnic groups, ideological positions, and patterns of private life. They have been extensively described in the works of classical sociologists such as Weber, Veblen, and Durkheim, as well as in modern sociology by scholars like Lamont, Rosa, and Bourdieu. However, the cultural transformations of contemporary societies, the power of digital technologies, political polarization, migration, and the democratization of social life have made public discourse one of the most crucial arenas for both the production and dismantling of symbolic boundaries.

It is within public discourse that distinctions are drawn—for example, between migrants who deserve assistance and those who are expected to fend for themselves. It is where mindfulness is either dismissed as a bourgeois fad or recognized as a method of personal development that helps individuals understand their place in the world. It is also where social movements advocating for climate action are framed either as defenders of future generations or as mere aesthetes manipulated by the lobby of energy corporations.

Drawing lines of demarcation in discourse is both an act of inclusion and exclusion: it reflects social conformity while simultaneously serving as a tool of symbolic power to shape difference. Some symbolic boundaries persist over long periods, becoming taken for granted, while others emerge temporarily for strategic purposes. The map of divisions drawn by these boundaries may remain tacitly accepted for years but can also be challenged at any moment. Thus, the focus is not only on the existence and disappearance of boundaries but also on the mechanisms through which these processes unfold.

In public discourse, these demarcations manifest in multiple dimensions: social interactions, argumentative and rhetorical strategies, and broader discourse formations. Boundary work can be examined across these dimensions. Hate speech, various forms of shaming, and discourses of political correctness often create divisions that do not align with the structural order of society. Political communication, labor-related discourses, and slogans of civic protest all function as instruments for classifying power.

To a significant extent, these are the spaces where distinctions are made—between perpetrators and victims of war, between legitimate trades and mere speculative ventures, between actions serving the common good and those driven by self-interest. Both symbolic elites and new social actors seek to exercise power through classification and definition. We propose to explore the following issues:

·  The historical and contemporary sociological reflections on symbolic boundaries.

·  Methodological and theoretical approaches to studying symbolic boundaries in sociology.

·  Discourse analysis and different types of symbolic boundaries: class, ethnic, religious, political, and others.

·  The distinction between visible (sharp) and invisible (latent) symbolic boundaries.

·  Power dynamics in relation to symbolic boundaries—who has the capacity to challenge them?

·  Strategies for shifting or dismantling symbolic boundaries.

·  The role of polarized public discourse in reinforcing or revealing symbolic boundaries.

·  Symbolic boundaries in local and global media disputes.

·  Symbolic boundaries and group identities in the digital communication era.

·  Symbolic boundaries as a foundation for class differentiation. ·  The relationship between symbolic boundaries, dignity, and social recognition

Type of group:
regularna międzyośrodkowa

Name and surname of the applicant:
Joanna Wróblewska-Jachna, Uniwersytet Bielsko-Bialski

Co-authors:
Daniela Dzienniak-Pulina, Uniwersytet Śląski w Katowicach

Abstract:
The sense of uncertainty, characteristic of modern societies, has multiple sources. It is catalyzed by the polarization of society through the public communication ecosystem, resulting in hostility towards “strangers,” misinformation, and decreased trust in public institutions. The costs of polarization include increased healthcare expenditures, and the constant sense of threat worsens the mental health of many citizens. Society is still struggling with the trauma of the COVID-19 pandemic, which introduced institutional solutions typical of garrison states, such as restrictions on individual freedoms and the abandonment of social dialogue in decision-making processes affecting most citizens. Another source is the escalating armed conflicts reorganizing the socio-economic model of the world in the context of digital transformation. Tensions and polycrises prompt the construction, implementation, and testing of innovative social solutions. A society where adaptive difficulties have the dimension of social problems loses its ability to develop dynamically. In the face of these challenges, increasing attention is being paid to well-being—both individual and social—as a key element in countering the negative effects of polycrises. Well-being is considered in terms of the effect achieved at the level of social and economic capital. A high level of social capital means solidarity and trust among citizens and institutions, providing a sense of security, civic activity, and a sense of community belonging. The quality of social capital is closely related to education and culture; therefore, the sphere of culture becomes a space for influencing communities and collectives by institutions of power, as well as social and economic entities. Activities related to culture, art, and the revitalization of public spaces are perceived as investments yielding long-term social benefits. Artistic interventions create a space for safe integration and are a tool for adapting individuals and groups to dynamic social changes. Broadly understood culture in urban policies takes on new meaning as a tool for managing development. Participation in culture is treated as a prescription for contemporary ailments—artistic activities are a form of therapy, sociotherapy, and resocialization. We invite you to submit papers on specific cultural practices and artistic interventions, along with an analysis of their communal and social effects.Functional Adaptation, Culture, Social Well-being, Artistic Interventions

Type of group:
regular inter-centre

Name and surname of the applicant:
Barbara Markowska-Marczak Collegium Civitas

Co-authors:
Krzysztof Świrek, Uniwersytet Warszawski

Abstract:
Psychoanalytic inspiration has long been present in the social sciences. The combination of a critique of capitalism and psychoanalysis was a hallmark of the Frankfurt School, and psychoanalytic concepts helped in construction of theories of ideology and methods of discourse research (Louis Althusser, Ernesto Laclau, Yannis Stavrakakis). Today, psychoanalysis inspires critical theories of culture that seek to capture new models of subjectivity and social relations emerging at the intersection of capital and technology (Anna Kornbluh, Jodi Dean), as well as new social ontologies developed by the Ljubljana school (Mladen Dolar, Alenka Zupančič), among others. Conservative commentators warn of a society of “totalitarian management,” devoid of normative forms to make reality meaningful and comprehensible (Pierre Legendre), anti-capitalist and leftist voices recall the notion of “repressive desublimation,” pointing out that domination does not disappear in a permissive society (Slavoj Žižek). Meanwhile, among psychoanalysts themselves, there is an ongoing debate about whether we are facing the emergence of a society built around a “discourse of the capitalist,” in which the relationship with objects, offering consumer gratification, has become more important than the relationship with another human being (Frédéric Declercq).

In the proposed topic group, we want to discuss the benefits that the social sciences can derive from the use of psychoanalytical theory. In what areas can the use of psychoanalysis be useful, in what areas – essential? What false problems does psychoanalytic instrumentation avoid (and does it produce new ones)? Does it enable the formulation of research problems that could not be named without it? How does it allow to explain paradoxical and unexpected phenomena? What type of social relations can be observed thanks to the psychoanalytic criticism of the assumptions about the rational and transparent subject?

Example submission topics may include:

  • the central concepts of psychoanalysis (unconscious, libido, affect, death drive) and their possible applications in the social sciences;
  • histories of the migration of concepts from psychoanalysis to the social sciences (and back again);
  • the Polish reception of psychoanalytic concepts and theories in the social sciences;
  • the use of psychoanalytic concepts in the contemporary theories of ideology and discourse;
  • issues that the critical social sciences have “taken” from psychoanalysis (persistence and crisis of the symbolic order, “discourse of the capitalist,” master signifier);
  • application of psychoanalysis to the interpretation of important sociological problems (mechanisms of political discourse, populism, dynamics of communication in new media);
  • concealed influences and inspirations from psychoanalysis in the works of well-known sociologists (Norbert Elias, Pierre Bourdieu);
  • the dangers hidden in the precipitous (rhetorical) misapplication of psychoanalytic concepts (e.g., examples of social criticism that border on a journalistic analysis of ‘Zeitgeist’ through the (mis)use of the concept of “narcissism”, “the Real”, etc.);
  • the classism of psychoanalysis and the psychoanalysis of social classes.

Type of group:
regular inter-centre

Name and surname of the applicant:
Magdalena Żadkowska Uniwersytet Gdański

Co-authors:
Katarzyna Leszczyńska, AGH

Abstract:
The dynamic development of equality policies at universities, which began in 2021 in the context of the requirement to prepare Gender Equality Plans (GEPs) as a condition for access to funding from the Horizon Europe programme, is an important step towards systemic changes in equality. Many universities in Europe, including Poland, have carried out detailed analyses of their structures, processes and practices, identified areas for improvement and formulated strategies for their implementation. By 2022, more than 80 universities in Poland had implemented a Gender Equality Plan. At the same time, increasing attention is being paid to research analysing the effectiveness of the measures implemented and their impact on the academic environment. These studies and equality initiatives are accompanied by complex social contexts and reactions. Resistance to equality initiatives is crucial and takes structural, institutional, discursive or individual forms.

The aim of the panel is to discuss the latest research on inequalities in universities, the sociological identification of barriers to the implementation of equality policies, and studies on the social context accompanying these activities. We will pay particular attention to:

  1. Sociological theories and methodologies: inequalities in research and teaching institutions and the implementation of equality policies in universities.
  2. Intersectional analyses of structural inequalities related to gender, age, socio-economic background and other dimensions of diversity.
  3. Research on the role of strategic social actors in the implementation of equality policies in universities.
  4. Risks associated with the implementation processes of equal opportunities policies, in particular social polarisation;
  5. Resistance to institutional change at individual, cultural, political and administrative levels, including backlash.
  6. The effectiveness of  Gender Equality Plans and the tools used to monitor their implementation.
  7. The impact of equality policies on the organisational culture of universities and the experiences of members of the academic community.
  8. The role of leadership and the involvement of different stakeholders in implementing change.
  9. Good practice in implementing change at central level.
  10. Ensuring continuity in the implementation of change in financial, administrative and social terms.
  11. Responding to the pressing challenges facing higher education in relation to generational change, the well-being of working and studying people, and reducing the negative effects of ‘publish or perish’ and ‘leaky pipeline’.
  12. Implementing equality policies that take account of disciplinary and institutional diversity.
  13. Sharing knowledge on diversity with the business and community environment – initiatives that link institutions in the regions to promote diversity and equality.
  14. Critiquing research on equality and the implementation of equality policies.

Examples of sociological questions that will be addressed during the discussion include

  • What are the social and structural mechanisms that perpetuate inequalities in the academic environment?
  • What are the main challenges and resistances to the implementation of gender equality policies in universities and the university environment?
  • How does the implementation of GEPs affect the daily experiences of people studying and working in academia?
  • How can the effectiveness of equality policies and their impact on the long-term transformation of universities be measured?
  • What practices can be considered typical and effective in developing diversity and inclusion in academia?
  • How can we ensure that equality policies have a sustainable and long-term impact?
  • How can we deal with resistance to change at individual, cultural and administrative levels?
  • How can we address issues of diversity across disciplines, institutions, age, gender and origin?
  • How can the progress and performance of minority groups in academic settings be studied?
  • What sociological categories are helpful in analysing and interpreting inequalities in universities? How can research on university equity contribute to the development of theories of inequality?

We invite you to submit your proposals in relation to the issues and questions raised above. We are also open to other proposals relevant to the group’s theme.

Type of group:
regular inter-centre

Name and surname of the applicant:
Wiktoria Morawska – Instytut Filozofii i Socjologii, Polska Akademia Nauk

Co-authors:
Edyta Tobiasiewicz, Humanistyczny, Akademia Górniczo-Hutnicza

Abstract:
Work in the context of the new economy, the post-material economy and technologization is undergoing significant changes. These changes include market structures and work organisation, ideologies/discourses about them, relations between employers and employees, and individual work practices.

The dynamization of these multidirectional processes can become a catalyst for change in the social gender order, but does not always lead to progress. It contributes to complex configurations of “changes and suppressions” within gender regimes and (re)produced gender patterns. The cultural and normative development of gender equality remains slow, and economic constraints and competitive pressures make it difficult to build inclusive work environments.  This raises questions about the current and future landscape of gender equality in workplaces and organisations, where “changes and suppressions” are intertwined with global and local discourses, norms, the economic system and attempts to resist them.

In the proposed session We want to look at gender issues in relation to paid professional, research and managerial work in different types of organisations – including knowledge-based ones – operating under neoliberal conditions. We propose an analytical intersection of these categories with socio-cultural gender, or more broadly: intersectionally with race, sexual orientation and gender identity or class, at both individual and institutional levels.

We are interested in papers that contribute to theoretical and empirical reflections on “changes and suppressions” in gendered areas such as:

1.  DISCOURSES OF WORK

– Gendered ideologies of work, including new forms of subordination and affirmation of work.

– Stagnation and apparent change in gendered patterns, particularly within discourses organised around the dominant “masculine” values of productivity and profit, which underpin the economisation of social and political life (Biesecker and von Winterfeld, 2018; Fraser 2012; Witmer, 2019).

– The productivisation of women as the “new subject” of neoliberal feminism, based on the market metric (Brown, 2016; Rottenberg, 2019).

2. FUNCTIONING OF THE ORGANISATION

– Gender and unpaid work in the workplace (Kelan, 2022).

– The stagnation of gender norms in the context of market structures, the willingness of organisations and societies to implement structural change.

– The role of socio-cultural gender in modern workspaces (start-ups and high-tech organisations, clusters, co-working spaces, incubators, accelerators).

– Equality policies in contemporary work organisations (outcomes, circumstances, struggles, implementations).

– Gendered mechanisms of inequality in organisations (Mickey, 2019, 2022), including in the field of:

A) social mechanisms (including the influence of the social environment, political contexts, “anti-gender” discourses (Acker, 1990)),

B) psyche (including normative gender conformity (Alegria, 2019), reproduction of the gendered status of women),

C) the economy (occupational segmentation).

– The intertwining of privilege and subordination in prestigious, specialised or high-level positions in organisations.

3. GENDER, PROFESSIONAL PRACTICES AND RESISTANCE

– Negotiating practices, gendered strategies and management of gender in the workplace (Li, 2023).

– Gender and individual and collective practices of resistance to inequalities in work organisations.

– Practices of transgressing, violating or challenging normative gender models.

– Reflexivity and individual (re)interpretations of gendered practices in the workplace.

Type of group:
regular inter-centre

Name and surname of the applicant:
Piotr Szenajch, Uniwersytet Łódzki

Co-authors:
Olga Gitkiewicz, Uniwersytet Wrocławski

Abstract:
Some ethical issues, although repeatedly discussed in the field of biographical research, remain unresolved. Others emerge as a result of dynamic processes of social change and require critical reflection. We want to take a look at at least some of them and discuss them in depth among biographical researchers. Our focus will be, among other things, on issues related to the responsibility for the research participants during the entire research process, including: the arrangement of the interview, the meeting itself (also in online form), the obtaining of informed consent, cases of recounting of illegal events, transcription, anonymisation (almost unrealistic in a world dominated by the Internet and social media), the methods of analysis, and the archiving of the empirical material. Recently, it is not uncommon to collect autobiographical material on the fly – during the course of collective events that carry the potential for fear and suffering (e.g. the Covid-19 pandemic or the war in Ukraine). The practice of such sociology raises a number of ethical questions. Is it possible to study people at the peak of the trajectory process? What support should be provided to them? To what extent does the competence of the sociologist allow for the neutralisation of negative emotions and traumatic experiences? How to handle the obtained material ? Similar questions can be raised with regard to contemporary autobiographical accounts of young people, a significant number of whom have undergone or are in the process of psychotherapy. It is also important to note that biographical research often reaches out to people who, through their life story, want to speak out on a particular issue, give a kind of testimony or fight for the recognition of a particular social group. Putting themselves in the position of a spokesperson for a particular issue, they may have certain expectations regarding making their statements public, that are often contrary to the scientific goals of the project and not aligned with the results of the analysis of the interviews. This puts researchers in a very difficult position. Another issue can arise when the problem under study is close to the experience of the researchers. This private experience can thus become the object of public manifestation and analysis. Finally, it is also necessary to discuss the situation in which the mental and emotional struggles of the biographical researchers are being brought to the forefront in a way that somehow ‘overshadows’ the experience of the narrators. Certainly, we have not exhausted the catalogue of ethical problems in the field of biographical research. We also look forward to submissions regarding problems not accounted for here, arising from research practice and experience.

Type of group:
regular group of section: Biographical Research Section

Name and surname of the applicant:
Paweł Poławski, Uniwersytet Warszawski

Co-authors:
Urszula Szczepankowska-Bednarek, Politechnika Warszawska

Abstract:
The Desire to Transgress Boundaries – moral, social, physical, aesthetic, sexual, national or legal boundaries – is considered a significant characteristic of modernity (Jenks 2003). Transgression, understood as the violation of rules (whether formal or informal) and the act of exceeding accepted norms, appears to be crucial for understanding the dynamics of social life. Transgressive behaviors, therefore, emerge as “a dynamic force in cultural reproduction – it prevents stagnation by breaking the rule and it ensures stability by reaffirming the rule. Transgression is not the same as disorder; it opens up chaos and reminds us of the necessity of order” (Jenks 2003: 7). In this sense, transgression is functional – akin to deviance; manifestations of identifiable nonconformity and deviance are not only integrated into the social system but are also essential to it, as they fulfill vital needs or aspirations of individuals, activate integration mechanisms, stabilize collective order by defining the boundaries of conformity, and stimulate social change. Conversely, the mechanisms of social reaction to the violation of norms and boundary-crossing, including claims-making activities and various moral panics identifying various “folk devils,” are linked to the limitation of individual agency or to the imposition of stricter control over those who do not adhere to norms or to interpretive schemas that are deemed universal. The capacity to define transgressive behaviors as deviance or crime, therefore, becomes a political resource, facilitating control and, at times, fostering social polarization. Simultaneously, various forms of transgression are being normalized; what was once considered alien, strange, deviant, immoral, or even criminal becomes common, transforming into an acceptable alternative or norm. For example, (Langman 2019) the normalization of transgressions related to sexuality and the means of communicating it (such as through the media), behaviors considered “risky” are commercialized and evolve into forms of recreation and sources of budgetary income (such as marijuana use), and various modes of cultural nonconformity (such as tattooing) or dissent (such as climate protests) are increasingly seen as expressions of differences (e.g., generational) rather than deviance. “Domesticating” transgressions carries implications for sociological concepts and methodology. For instance, proposals (Coyle 2014) for the redefinition of social reactions to transgressions as managing diversity, rather than deviance, have emerged, along with research into why certain forms of diversity are met with sanctions (including criminal ones), while others are either accepted or ignored. We contend that the subject of transgression has not been sufficiently addressed in Polish literature and research, particularly considering the growing complexity of the social world and the variability of uncertainty and risk dimensions.

Consequently, within this group, we propose reflection on the role of transgression in the processes of shaping collective order, with particular emphasis on:

  • The differentiation of individual and group forms of boundary-crossing (social, legal, moral, etc.) in various areas of collective life
  • The structural conditions for boundary-crossing, the relationship between transgression and social change, as well as the identity and structural consequences of transgression
  • Emerging forms of transgression (including those associated with the use of new technologies and media)
  • The dynamics of social reactions to transgressive behaviors (including processes of “domesticating” and normalizing or deviantizing transgressions, moral panics, etc.) and their consequences (such as social exclusion)
  • The functions of informal control and formal (e.g., legal) regulation of transgressive behaviors, and the connections between control mechanisms and power structures
  • The global and local conditions surrounding transgression and the social control of transgressive behaviors
  • The place of the concept of transgression within sociological theory, particularly in relation to theories of deviance and social control, as well as the heuristic utility of the concept.

In-depth theoretical and empirical analyses are welcomed, including those that propose directions for future research.

Type of group:
regularna grupa Sekcja Socjologii Dewiacji i Kontroli Społecznej,

Name and surname of the applicant:
Włodzimierz Durka, Uniwersytet Szczeciński

Co-authors:
Dariusz Gawin, Instytut Filozofii i Socjologii, PAN

Abstract:
Proces utrwalania nowych tożsamości terytorialnych oraz obserwowany wzrost związanych z nimi ryzyk rozpoczął się ok. trzydzieści lat temu w Stanach Zjednoczonych, gdzie mieszkańcy zaczęli zmieniać swoje miejsce zamieszkania ze względu na poglądy polityczne sąsiadów. Podziały na stany republikańskie i demokratyczne w ciągu tych lat zmieniały się dość gwałtownie. Pojawiły się przestrzenie o zróżnicowanej tożsamości – swing state. Również w Polsce procesy upolitycznienia tożsamości terytorialnej są coraz silniejsze, choć nie są tak jak w USA. Obserwujemy za to inne podziały tożsamościowe związane z terytorium. Występujące zróżnicowanie zawiera się w rozległym continuum: od tradycyjnych podziałów wieś – miasto, podziałów na nowych i starych mieszkańców obszarów wiejskich, przez podziały społeczeństwa polskiego na konserwatywny wschód i progresywny zachód, silnie skorelowane terytorialnie nowe i tradycyjne tożsamości zawodowe, aż po nowe tożsamości związane z migracjami międzypaństwowymi (imigracją, emigracją i reemigracją). Kwestia tożsamości terytorialnej jest od wielu lat przedmiotem zainteresowania socjologów zajmujących się zmianą społeczną (Giddens 1991; Sztompka 2005; Bauman 2005, 2008; Castells 2009), a obecnie zachodzące w naszym kraju intensywne zmiany mogą stać się dla tych rozważań ważnym rozwinięciem i uzupełnieniem. Aktualne pozostaje pytanie, czy tożsamość terytorialna może mieć wpływ na kondycję społeczeństwa obywatelskiego, budowanego wokół wspólnoty wartości oraz w oparciu o wzajemne zaufanie mieszkańców. Prowadzone w ostatnich latach liczne badania empiryczne, jak i rozważania teoretyczne dotyczących tożsamości terytorialnej pozwalają przyjąć założenie o rosnącym zainteresowaniu tematyką wśród socjologów reprezentujących różne subdyscypliny: socjologii kultury, socjologii wsi i miasta, socjologii migracji, socjologii pracy czy socjologii religii. Celem organizowanej grupy międzysekcyjnej będzie więc dyskusja nad przedmiotowym zagadnieniem z możliwie różnych perspektyw, co pozwoli wskazać nowe kierunki refleksji oraz zintegrować wokół nich liczne grono socjologów.

Type of group:
grupa regularna międzysekcyjna: Sekcja Socjologii Wsi i Rolnictwa PTS, Sekcja Społeczeństwa Obywatelskiego PTS

Name and surname of the applicant:
Dorota Żuchowska-Skiba Akademia Górniczo-Hutnicza w Krakowie

Co-authors:
Milena Trojanowska-Ludwin, Uniwersytet Łódzki

Abstract:
Contemporary social and technological changes have a significant impact on the lives of people with disabilities, bringing both new opportunities and challenges. In the context of the development of assistive technologies, social media and artificial intelligence, people with disabilities are gaining greater independence and accessibility to various spheres of life. Modern devices that support mobility, communication or everyday functions open up a range of new possibilities for them, enabling greater social integration, professional and educational activity. At the same time, the development of technology poses new challenges, such as technology dependency, reduced user autonomy and the risk of digital exclusion. Increasing inclusivity in education and the labour market enables people with disabilities to participate more fully in society. However, this requires the adaptation of educational and working environments to diverse needs and the elimination of stereotypes, which is a challenge for educational institutions and employers as well as traditional and new media. Contemporary changes in attitudes towards support, assuming greater autonomy for people with disabilities in making decisions about their own lives. Unfortunately, these changes are also accompanied by the risk of shifting the responsibility for everyday life to people with disabilities themselves and their families, especially in the context of a lack of sufficient resources and support tools at the local level. Finally, the concepts of universal design, which are gaining prominence in many areas such as public space, education or services, offer an opportunity to create accessible environments for all. However, superficial or inadequate implementation of these concepts, often resulting from a lack of consultation with those affected by these changes, leads to limited results that are not adapted to real needs. We invite abstracts on issues related to inclusivity in education and the labour market, creating accessible environments and increasing access to services, and the impact of assistive technologies on the daily lives of people with disabilities, as well as changes in support models towards independent living and an analysis of the opportunities and new challenges these processes present. We would like to devote special attention to ways of taming these risks and their impact on the lives of people with disabilities and their families.

Type of group:
regularna grupa sekcji PTS: Sekcji Socjologii Niepełnosprawności,

Name and surname of the applicant:
Zbigniew Głąb Uniwersytet Łódzki

Co-authors:
Monika Struck-Peregończyk, Wyższa Szkoła Informatyki i Zarządzania z siedzibą w Rzeszowie

Abstract:
Independent Living philosophy and a movement grew out of the disability rights movement in the 1960s in the United States of America. The broader implementation of the term ‘independent living’ into public discourse occurred in Poland by the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD), ratified in 2012. It resulted in the development of social thinking about disability in its social and human-rights model.

According to the CRPD, independent living means the possibility of self-determination of people with disabilities and the right to participate in communities with appropriate support. Formatted in this way, the programme has become an opportunity for many activists and self-advocates to strengthen efforts to fully include people with disabilities in mainstream society. This approach entails not only the need to change societal attitudes towards disability, but also demands practical actions related to ensuring the accessibility of goods and services for people with disabilities, as well as new formatting of social policy to provide appropriate support.

The research perspective on independent living extends over a wide spectrum: from the analysis of social and cultural phenomena to specific solutions supporting people with disabilities. The subject of deinstitutionalisation as an inherent condition for independent living for people with disabilities deserves a special position. Its main idea is to enable this group to function in their communities on an equal footing with others instead of being obliged to live in a particular living arrangement. It is based on particular solutions such as housing and personal assistance. Simultaneously, the idea of independent living is being subjected to risks. One of these is the misunderstanding of the term. In colloquial perception, it is linked to categories such as self-sufficiency, self-care, economic independence, full decision-making capacity. In the CRPD, however, it is primarily associated with respecting the rights of the individuals by providing optimal support to enable them to participate in their local communities on equal conditions. The distortion of the independent living concept carries the risk of remaining within the medical model of disability. It is linked to the perception of people with disabilities as passive objects of action rather than as full actors in the social world. Risk can also be framed in terms of policies of care and concern, which can be formulated in a paternalistic way.

Protests (including street ones) and pressure from the disability movement for new social policy formulation, as well as public discourse reflecting changes in thinking about disability, show that the issue of independent living is particularly pressing today. A key question is about the future of the independent living idea. What are the risks and opportunities? Who shapes them, in what areas and on what terms? What are the demands formed by various groups? What are the mechanisms generating and blocking social change? What opportunities for independent living do different groups of people with disabilities have? These issues are widely discussed today in both Polish and global disability studies.

Type of group:
grupa regular inter-centre

Name and surname of the applicant:
Natalia Organista AWF Warszawa

Co-authors:
Przemysław Nosal, UAM Poznań

Abstract:
The intersection of sport, gender, and violence constitutes a space that not only reproduces well-known mechanisms of violence but also—due to the specific nature of the sports world—generates qualitatively new phenomena. Examining this multidimensional relationship allows for a deeper understanding of the complexity of processes occurring within the realm of sport itself, as well as within broader social life. Issues such as stereotyping, prejudice, discrimination, and various forms of violence—ranging from psychological to physical—require thorough analysis and reflection. The prevalence research on interpersonal violence against athletes conducted across several countries has demonstrated that violence is a serious issue within this domain. Moreover, in sports, we also encounter violent behaviors among parents of young athletes, medical professionals, and acts of violence directed toward referees.

At the same time, violent behaviors take on more ambiguous or subtle forms. In recent decades, scholarly attention has been drawn to attempts to integrate transgender individuals into the binary gender system that governs sport, as well as to the systemic pressure on non-heterosexual individuals to conform to the cis- and heteronormative structure of sport. Other widely debated topics include the regulation and surveillance of femininity in sports, exemplified by gender testing procedures and policies that problematize the participation of transgender individuals and youth in sports. Each of these issues has been increasingly politicized in recent years, contributing to further segregation, differentiation, and oppression of all individuals who do not fit within the narrow binary gender framework.

We invite submissions of papers addressing the themes outlined above, focusing on topics such as:

  • Cis-/heteronormative sports culture and its consequences.
  • Physical, psychological, and sexual violence against athletes in professional sports and youth sports—causes, mechanisms, and consequences of the phenomenon.
  • The athlete-coach dynamic—power, violence, and safety.
  • Peer violence in sports.
  • Gendered violence in sports—manifestations and effects.
  • Transgender and non-binary identities in sports—barriers, challenges, strategies, and practices.
  • The impact of gender stereotypes and biases on participation and competition in sports.
  • Gender representations in sports media.
  • Policies of equality, social justice, and inclusivity in sports organizations.
  • The politicization of gender issues in sports—political narratives, strategies, and policies for combating violence and discrimination.

Type of group:
regularna grupa sekcji PTS: Sekcja Socjologii Sportu

Name and surname of the applicant:
Dobrosław Mańkowski Uniwersytet Gdański

Co-authors:
Wojciech Woźniak Uniwersytet Łódzki

Abstract:
Contemporary sport stands at the intersection of multiple crises—global, institutional, and individual. From a sociological perspective, sport serves as a mirror of social transformations, but it is also a space where tensions arising from public policies, globalization, and organizational challenges become visible. Crises in professional and elite sports often stem from commercialization, excessive pressure for results, and pathologies such as doping, corruption, and match-fixing. Meanwhile, public institutions and sports organizations face governance issues and a lack of transparency, which weakens public trust and their ability to achieve developmental goals.

In this context, sport can be both a victim and a perpetrator of crises. During the public health crisis, the COVID-19 pandemic exposed structural weaknesses in sports management at both national and global levels, leading to restrictions on access to physical activity and disruptions in the economic stability of the sports sector. As the rule of law and democracy weaken, sport is also seen as a contributor to crisis, as it is often exploited by politicians as a tool for manipulation or distraction from issues crucial to individual freedoms. In such crises, sport is sometimes associated with the Marxist concept of religion, functioning as the “opium of the masses.”

At the same time, in the context of social crises, sport can serve as a tool for integration, building social capital, and counteracting social exclusion. It can be a vehicle for political and social change and a platform for human rights advocacy, particularly for socially vulnerable groups. However, it also holds the potential, especially among football fans, to be a medium for political demonstrations of nationalist, fascist, and, less frequently, anti-fascist character.

When analyzing the relationship between sport and crisis, it is important to consider the transformative potential of sport as an institution and a form of social action. Key questions remain about the role of public policies in addressing crises and the ways to strengthen sport as a public good. Sport can indeed be a response to contemporary challenges, but it requires reflection on its function and future in 21st-century societies.

We invite sociologists to engage in this reflection on sport in crisis and crisis in sport.

Type of group:
regularna grupa sekcji PTS: Sekcja Socjologii Sportu

Name and surname of the applicant:
Rafał Boguszewski Szkoła Główna Gospodarstwa Wiejskiego w Warszawie

Co-authors:
Wojciech Klimski, UKSW, Dominika Sozańska, UKEN; Teresa Zbyrad, UMCS

Abstract:
The contemporary world, characterized by dynamic social, cultural, and technological changes, presents new challenges to religiosity and spirituality, redefining their significance in the lives of individuals and communities. Globalization and the expansion of digital media have exposed traditional forms of religiosity to encounters with cultural and ideological diversity, as well as to alternative forms of spirituality that often emerge outside mainstream religious traditions. On one hand, we observe processes of secularization and a decline in institutionalized faith; on the other, there is a growing interest in individual spirituality, the search for deeper meaning in life, and practices inspired by eclectic sources such as Eastern philosophies, New Age movements, or ecological spirituality.

Technological advancements are also reshaping the ways in which faith is experienced and expressed. Social media platforms enable the formation of online communities that connect individuals across geographical boundaries, yet they also raise questions about the authenticity and sustainability of such connections. Digital algorithms and emerging technologies not only shape religious content but also redefine ritual practices – from virtual pilgrimages to remote religious services.

Religiosity and spirituality are further influenced by global crises such as climate change, pandemics, wars, migration, and increasing social inequalities. Religion often plays a crucial role in mobilizing individuals for action, offering interpretative and emotional tools in times of uncertainty. However, it can also be instrumentalized to deepen ideological conflicts. In this context, questions about the future of religion and spirituality become particularly significant. Will traditional religious institutions find ways to adapt to changing realities? How can spirituality become a space for dialogue, integration, and responses to contemporary global challenges? What methodological approaches can scholars use to examine an increasingly complex religious landscape?

This group aims to create a space for intellectual exchange, capturing both the diversity of religious and spiritual experiences and their shared potential to address the challenges of the modern world.

Suggested Discussion Areas:

  • The function of religion in addressing contemporary crises such as climate change, migration, war, and social conflicts.
  • The relationship between traditional religious institutions and emerging forms of spirituality.
  • The impact of globalization, secularization, and ideological pluralism on religious and spiritual attitudes.
  • The individualization of spirituality – shifts from dogmatism toward personal pathways of faith and practice.
  • The role of new technologies, social media, and popular culture in shaping religious and spiritual experiences.

Type of group:
grupa sekcji PTS Socjologii Religii

Name and surname of the applicant:
Tomasz Kasprzak, Uniwersytet Śląski

Co-authors:
Aleksandra Zalewska-Królak, ISNS Uniwersytet Warszawski

Abstract:
“Dostrzeganie potencjału sprawczości i podmiotowości to najbardziej wybrzmiewające podobieństwa childhood studies i disability studies. Obie te perspektywy mają wpisane w swoją historię odejście od przyjętego paradygmatu, poszukiwanie nowego punktu widzenia. Opierając się na podejściu konstruktywizmu społecznego, odcinały się od dominujących wcześniej sposobów badania dzieci, dzieciństwa oraz niepełnosprawności. Krytyka childhood studies była skierowana przeciwko psychologii rozwojowej, zarzucając jej narzucanie uniwersalnych standardów oraz traktowanie dzieci jako pasywnych i niekompetentnych. Natomiast disability studies podważyły medyczny model niepełnosprawności, który przyjmuje, że podmiotem oddziaływania jest niepełnosprawna jednostka, ponieważ tylko ona może się zmienić. Oba podejścia łączy również emancypacyjny charakter pierwszych działań badawczych. Współcześnie, kluczowe pojęcia obydwu tych perspektyw zmieniają się, są poddawane krytycznemu namysłowi. Ponadto, aktualne dyskusje i nadchodzące zmiany w zakresie instytucji prawa cywilnego wzywają do refleksji na temat przepisów prawa krajowego oraz prawa międzynarodowego, a także towarzyszącym im interpretacjom określonych regulacji. Chcemy zobaczyć, jak styki między childhood studies i disability studies generują nowe rozumienia oraz w jaki sposób również prawo i nadchodzące zmiany legislacyjne wpływają na postrzeganie dzieci z niepełnosprawnością. Zależy nam na namyśle nad formami: – oswajania idei childhood disability studies w polskiej perspektywie badawczej.

Dyskusja w ramach zaproponowanej przez nas grupy międzysekcyjnej ma na celu próbę stworzenia mapy mentalnej, która pokaże relacje między childhood studies i disability studies oraz będzie punktem wyjścia do:
– oswajania teorii i metodologii badań z udziałem dzieci z niepełnosprawnością oraz metodologicznych i teoretycznych inspiracji w studiach nad dzieciństwem z niepełnosprawnością (childhood disability studies);
– oswajania perspektywy childhood disability studies w badaniu dzieciństwa z niepełnosprawnością;
– oswajania etycznych aspektów badań prowadzonych z udziałem dzieci z niepełnosprawnością;
– oswajania dzieci z niepełnosprawnościami jako aktorów konstruujący swoje dzieciństwo;
– oswajania prawa dziecka z niepełnosprawnościami na tle regulujących jego podmiotowość i przepisów Konwencji o prawach dziecka, Konwencji ONZ o prawach osób niepełnosprawnych (szczególnie w interpretacji Komitetu do spraw praw osób niepełnosprawnych);
– oswajania wyzwań i dylematów wokół instytucji prawa cywilnego, szczególnie ubezwłasnolnienia, władzy rodzicielskiej oraz związanych z nią praw i obowiązków oraz modelach substycyjnych w kontekście praw dzieci;
– oswajania wiedzy specjalistycznej jaką dzieci z niepełnosprawnością mogą wnieść do badań naukowych;
– oswajania aktywizmu i rzecznictwa na rzecz dzieci z niepełnosprawnością. Zachęcamy do udziału w grupie międzysekcyjnej, którą współorganizuje sekcja socjologii niepełnosprawności i sekcja socjologii dzieci i dzieciństwa. Jej celem jest poznanie badań prowadzonych w tej tematyce w Polsce, jak również wymiana doświadczeń badaczek i badaczy w obszarze childhood disability studies, nawiązanie kontaktów, stworzenie pola dla przyszłej współpracy naukowej “

Type of group:
grupa międzysekcyjna: sekcja Socjologii Dziecka i Dzieciństwa Sekcja Socjologii Niepełnosprawności

Name and surname of the applicant:
Ewa Krzaklewska Uniwersytet Jagielloński

Co-authors:
Piotr Mikiewicz, Uniwersytet Dolnośląski DSW we Wrocławiu

Abstract:
The risks of contemporary times are the context for the functioning of educational institutions, including higher education institutions. How can we characterize the transformation of the contemporary socio-cultural landscape of higher education, and what directions this change can take? Higher education is one of the tools of protection from the risks by acquiring skills and credentials to help you find your way in an uncertain future. The higher education system is itself simultaneously being transformed by socioeconomic conditions and accompanying cultural changes. The development of artificial intelligence challenges existing educational and pedagogical strategies, and is also transforming the labor market, which is a key point of reference for those entering higher education. The housing crisis and rising cost of living are strongly affecting access to higher education, forcing people to combine education with earning money. Assuring student wellbeing, on the one hand an individual challenge in the process of studying, on the other is also becoming an important sphere of institutional activity, involving changing their structures and introducing new solutions. The phenomenon of drop-out (not completing study programs) is observed, suggesting the difficulties in the educational process, but also stimulating reflection on new ways of acquiring competencies and credentials – ad hoc, shorter, flexible. This forces reflection on new forms of education, verification of the educational outcomes and certification. These are just some selected phenomenon and challenges that are to be observed in the area of studies and higher education.

We invite submissions of papers addressing topics, such as:

  • the condition of contemporary higher education, transformations of the forms and content of education
  • higher education shaping young people’s biographies, biographical projects
  • the experience of studying, everyday life of students, coping strategies, well-being
  • studying culture, transformations of student culture
  • access to higher education, living conditions of students, work/earning, combining studies with other duties and roles, caregiving, student mobilizations for better studying conditions
  • institutional solutions, responses to crises and risks.
    The session invites both those who study the experience of studying, student culture, the everyday participation in higher education, but also those whose research takes an institutional perspective, looking at the functioning of institutions and the higher education system.

Type of group:
PTS section group: Sekcja Socjologii Młodzieży i Edukacji –

Name and surname of the applicant:
Mateusz Zaremba, Uniwersytet SWPS

Co-authors:
Cezary Wąsowski, WPiA Uniwersytet Warszawski

Abstract:
In recent years, judicial independence in Poland has become the subject of intense social, political, and legal debates. Legislative processes, changes in the judiciary’s structure, and reactions from the international community have significantly influenced public perception of this issue. The panel dedicated to research on judicial independence aims to provide an in-depth analysis of this topic from a sociological perspective, focusing on judges’ perceptions, judicial practices, and citizens’ attitudes toward the justice system.

The panel will present the results of both qualitative and quantitative research conducted among judges, legal professionals, and citizens. Particular emphasis will be placed on analyzing the factors affecting judicial independence, such as political, social, and economic pressure. Differences in the perception of this issue will also be examined depending on regional context, judges’ professional experiences, and their interactions with the media and public opinion.

The discussion will address key research questions, including:

  • How do judges define independence in their work?
  • What mechanisms do they use to protect their independence in the face of external pressure?
  • How does society perceive the credibility and autonomy of the courts in light of systemic changes?
  • What are the social consequences of the erosion of judicial independence?

The panel’s objective is not only to present research findings but also to create a space for reflection on the future of the Polish judiciary in the context of international standards. Panel participants will be invited to discuss practical solutions to support judicial independence and the role of civil society in its protection. Additionally, the panel will include a comparative analysis with other European Union countries to identify best practices and effective mechanisms for safeguarding judicial independence. We hope that our discussions will contribute to a better understanding of the challenges surrounding judicial independence in Poland and help develop strategies to build a more just and stable legal system.

Type of group:
nieregularna międzyośroskowa

Name and surname of the applicant:
Marta Smagacz-Poziemska Uniwersytet Jagielloński

Co-authors:
Katarzyna Zielińska, Uniwersytet Jagielloński,
Marta Klekotko, Uniwersytet Śląski w Katowicach

Abstract:
The categories of democratic regression and illiberal democracy dominate the scholarly discussion on the directions of current changes in democracy in Poland and Europe. Reflection on the mechanisms that strengthen the “illiberal order” is organized by questions about the condition of the foundations of the democratic system (e.g., parliaments, parties, the separation of powers, civil society) and the role of discourses, especially populist and nationalist ones, that shape social imaginaries of democracy and expectations towards it. Although the discussions focus on different aspects, they share, at a deeper level, an assumption about the linear nature of the observed transformations. The victory of the “democratic opposition” in the 2023 elections in Poland was typically interpreted as a deviation from the general (and not solely European) pattern of democratic changes. However, it also opened a new analytical perspective in research on democracy, its resilience and vulnerability to de-democratization.

This panel, first, empathizes the need to move beyond linear thinking about the processes of democracy’s decline and reconstruction. Secondly, it proposes understanding democracy not as a separate sphere of life (whether civic or political) but as a way of practicing everyday life – even if democratic values and principles are not explicitly defined but are implicitly embedded in routines. We assume that democracy is not an inherent characteristic of specific systems, societies, or institutions but rather a feature of social processes or procedures. Thirdly, a non-essentialist understanding of democracy – as an aspect of everyday life practices rather than a distinct socio-political system – allows us to recognize the relational nature of “democraticness,” which is both discursively and non-discursively reproduced and transformed in relation to the actions of other practitioners. Thus, we propose viewing democracy through the lens of everyday life practices. In this approach, democratic everyday practices become the key to understanding the dynamic, continuously evolving nature of democracy.

We encourage an exploration of everyday actions, interactions, and routines in which democratic values may not necessarily be explicitly articulated but are nonetheless present – whether in attentiveness to specific issues, modes of cooperation, conflict resolution, or decision-making. In this way, “democraticness” is not solely a matter of formal structures or norms but above all an emergent feature of social relations, strengthened or weakened in the course of the daily actions of individuals and groups. The session invites reflections on how various aspects of social life – from professional work, caregiving, and education to activities in public spaces and political institutions – can serve as contexts for strengthening and reconfiguring democratic practices. This perspective enables a better understanding of the multiple contexts and forms in which everyday actions contribute to the (re)configuration of democracy, highlighting both the potential and the limits of “democraticness” embedded in our social practices.

We invite presentations that, within the outlined theoretical framework, address but are not limited to the following questions:

  • How is democracy discursively (re)articulated?
  • How is democracy practiced in everyday life?
  • What transformations of democratic principles and values are visible in everyday practices?
  • What are the practices of maintaining and/or strengthening democracy in institutions traditionally considered pillars of democracy (e.g., parliaments)?
  • Under what conditions does democracy, embedded in everyday life practices, translate into the democraticness of European societies?
  • Under what conditions are everyday life practices most susceptible to populism and de-democratization?

Type of group:
regularna międzyośrodkowa

Name and surname of the applicant:
Agata Rozalska Uniwersytet Kardynała Stefana Wyszyńskiego w Warszawie

Co-authors:
Przemysław Kisiel, Uniwersytet Ekonomiczny w Krakowie

Abstract:
W obliczu dynamicznie zmieniającej się rzeczywistości artystycznej, złożoność koncepcji sztuki oraz postawy osób artystycznych stają się przedmiotem intensywnej refleksji, zarówno w warstwie teoretycznej, jak i metodologicznej. Tradycyjnie pojmowana sztuka dominuje co prawda w dalszym ciągu w świadomości społecznej, jednak niemal równolegle, następuje znaczny rozwój rozmaitych form ekspresji wykorzystujących najnowsze technologie cyfrowe. Sztuka generatywna, NFT, sztuka oparta na sztucznej inteligencji oraz technologie druku 3D to już nie tylko narzędzia – protoplaści współczesnej dynamiki zmian w sztuce – ale przede wszystkim temat ożywionej dyskusji nad jej przyszłością. Czy przez nowe technologie sztuka utraci monopol na wszystkie, czy tylko wybrane swoje funkcje? A może zyska nowe? Czy nastąpi redefinicja relacji pomiędzy sztuką/artystą a technologią/maszyną? W kontekście tej cyfrowej rewolucji pojawia się jednocześnie silny zwrot ku naturze. Natura, jak i zjawiska przyrody stają się nie tylko źródłem inspiracji, ale także nośnikami głębokich emocji oraz idei. Współczesne działania artystyczne dostrzegają w nich niezwykłą „potencjalność”. Natura i przyroda są doskonałymi narzędziami wizualizacji ludzkich stanów emocjonalnych, i nie tylko zyskują na znaczeniu, ale i coraz częściej stają się centralnym punktem artystycznych wypowiedzi, odzwierciedlając nasze pragnienie i potrzebę harmonii z otaczającym światem. Zwrot w sztuce akcentuje nie tylko bliskość człowieka do środowiska naturalnego, ale również jego odpowiedzialność za planetę. Sztuka zwraca więc uwagę na złożone powiązania między wyzyskiem środowiska a patriarchalnymi strukturami społecznymi, a także inspiruje do działań na rzecz ochrony praw zwierząt i całych ekosystemów. Obserwujemy również rosnące upolitycznienie przekazów artystycznych, gdzie sztuka angażuje się w walkę o wartości i idee, które mają kluczowe znaczenie dla współczesnych społeczeństw. Złożoność refleksji nad postawami i praktykami artystycznymi wzrasta, w kontekście nowych teorii etyki troski, feministycznej myśli postkolonialnej, feministycznej geopolityki oraz nowego materializmu. W związku z tym, konieczne staje się poszukiwanie nowych metodologii badania tych zjawisk, a które to będą w stanie uchwycić różnorodność oraz dynamikę współczesnych praktyk artystycznych.

Proponujemy, aby referaty skupiały się między innymi na następujących zagadnieniach szczegółowych:
1. Ewolucja sztuki w czasach cyfrowych (przemiany w definicji sztuki, rola technologii w tworzeniu nowych form artystycznych)
2. Sztuka generatywna i sztuczna inteligencja (procesy twórcze wspomagane przez AI, estetyka sztuki generatywnej, nowe przestrzenie dla artystów i odbiorców)
3. NFT jako nowa forma własności w sztuce (ekonomia NFT, zmiany w rynku sztuki, problematyka praw autorskich i własności intelektualnej)
4. Sztuka i natura: ekologia w praktykach artystycznych (sztuka jako odpowiedź na kryzys ekologiczny, artystycznne inicjatyw na rzecz ochrony środowiska, sztuka bio-art)
5. Sztuka a nierówności (feministyczne podejście do ekologii, analiza wpływu patriarchalnych struktur na środowisko naturalne)
6. Sztuka a polityka/upolitycznienie sztuki/sztuka jako narzędzie akcji społecznej (sztuka jako narzędzia w walce o idee społeczne i polityczne, sztuka jako narzędzie protestu, mniejszości w sztuce, sztuka a propaganda, aktywizm, sztuka w służbie ruchów społecznych, rola artysty jako aktywisty)
7. Nowe metodologie badawcze w sztuce (interdyscyplinarne podejścia do analizy praktyk artystycznych, nowe narzędzia analityczne, AI a badania) “

Type of group:
regularna grupa sekcji PTS: Socjologii Sztuki Organizatorzy grupy w imieniu Sekcji Socjologii Sztuki PTS dr hab. Przemysław Kisiel, prof. UEK Uniwersytet Ekonomiczny w Krakowie dr Agata Rozalska Uniwersytet Kardynała Stefana Wyszyńskiego w Warszawie

Name and surname of the applicant:
Monika Kwiecińska-Zdrenka, Uniwersytet Mikołaja Kopernika

Co-authors:
Beata Trzop, Uniwersytet Zielonogórski

Abstract:
“Mając świadomość, iż kategoria młodzieży jest mocno zróżnicowana (wiek/faza życia, osobiste doświadczenia, zasoby powiązane z cechami pochodzenia młodych ludzi ect.) stawiamy sobie pytania:
● jak w czasach wielu kryzysów (punktem wyjścia/inspiracją może być koncepcja U. Becka nałożona na współczesne zjawiska) kształtują się postawy, wybory i plany młodych ludzi reprezentujących owo zróżnicowanie?
● jakie są konsekwencje udziału w takim niepewnym świecie dla młodych? Przyglądając się szerokiej perspektywie owych konsekwencji w centrum naszych zainteresowań stoją następujące zagadnienia:
● przebieg samej fazy życia – młodość jako faza życia i jej koncepcje odpowiadające na współczesne ryzyka;
● przemiany ścieżek życiowych, przebiegu życia i obieranych strategii biograficznych (zwłaszcza zmiany modeli wchodzenia w dorosłość) pod wpływem funkcjonowania w czasach niepewności;
● postrzeganie i sposób przeżywania i oswajania przez młodzież ryzyk – w tym próba stworzenia katalogu współczesnych ryzyk (jakie ryzyka są dla młodzieży czytelne, a które pozostają nierozpoznane/nieistotne), strategie radzenia sobie z nimi;
● wpływ świata, w którym żyją na ich tożsamość, proces budowania tożsamości osobistej i kryzysy tożsamościowe;
● przemiany systemów aksjonormatywnych, zestaw wartości i norm istotnych dla młodych i kontestowanych przez nich;
● projekcje własnej przyszłość (plany życiowe i aspiracje edukacyjne, zawodowe, strategie biograficzne);
● postrzeganie przez młodzież siebie jako części szerszej wspólnoty – jak wpływa to jej obywatelską aktywność, polityczność, jakie jest miejsce wspólnoty w jej systemie wartości społecznych;
● różnice i podobieństwa dzisiejszych młodych w odniesieniu do wcześniejszych pokoleń, zróżnicowanie wewnątrzpokoleniowe;
● kondycja psychiczna i dobrostan młodych;
● polska młodzież w porównaniu z młodymi z innych krajów (w kontekście wskazanych powyżej wymiarów i problemów oraz swoistych cech). Zapraszamy do zgłaszania wystąpień, które będą przybliżały nas do zarysowania obrazu dzisiejszej polskiej młodzieży (lub polskiej młodzieży na tle młodzieży z innych krajów) w całej jej różnorodności.”

Type of group:
grupa sekcji PTS: Sekcja Socjologii Młodzieży i Edukacji regularna

Name and surname of the applicant:
Julia Kubisa, Uniwersytet Warszawski

Co-authors:
Ewa Giermanowska, Uniwersytet Warszawski
Adam Mrozowicki, Uniwersytet Wrocławski

Abstract:
Świat pracy, zarówno produkcyjnej jak związanej z reprodukcją społeczną, jest obszarem przeróżnych, złożonych doświadczeń nierówności, niewidocznych relacji władzy oraz dążeń różnorodnych grup społecznych na rzecz zmiany. Wywodząca się z myśli feministycznej perspektywa intersekcjonalna stanowi użyteczne narzędzie pozwalające na zrozumienie zwielokrotnienia opresji, wyzysku oraz zróżnicowania dynamik władzy. Intersekcjonalność pozwala dostrzec wzajemne uwarunkowania struktur płci, rasowych, klasowych, związanych z orientacją seksualną i tożsamością płciową, czy struktur związanych z niepełnosprawnością, to w jaki sposób na siebie wpływają i jakiego rodzaju relacje władzy za nimi stoją. W ramach grupy tematycznej chcemy kontynuować dyskusje nad użytecznością perspektywy intersekcjonalnej w badaniach pracy, zapoczątkowaną na Zjeździe Socjologicznym w 2022 roku. Na zróżnicowanie doświadczeń i szans pracujących można patrzeć z perspektywy ich położenia na rynku pracy, uwzględniając jego segmentację. Można jednak też spojrzeć z perspektywy indywidualnej, na przecinające się różnego typu tożsamości, których układ wzmacnia lub osłabia szanse na rynku pracy oraz sytuuje na określonych pozycjach w systemie reprodukcji społecznej. Proponujemy dyskusje dotyczące doświadczeń jednostkowych (mikro), aktorów zbiorowych: organizacji, ruchów społecznych (mezo), polityk społecznych/publicznych (makro). Interesować nas będą: – jednostkowe doświadczenia związane z podejmowaniem pracy i funkcjonowaniem w środowisku pracy, w tym relacje między pracą a życiem prywatnym, także strategie jednostkowego oporu wobec opresji oraz doświadczenia wykluczenia i marginalizacji – polityki zarządzania różnorodnością (diversity management) na poziomie organizacji, ruchy społeczne związane z pracą, kolektywne strategie i sojusze – tworzone i wdrażane polityki społeczne/polityki publiczne związane ze świadczeniem pracy oraz ewaluacje strategii i programów społecznych z zastosowaniem analizy intersekcjonalnej

Każdy z tych wymiarów może być poddawany krytycznej analizie intersekcjonalnej pod kątem wyważania różnorodnych nierówności i ryzyk społecznych, jak również wzajemnych uwarunkowań różnych struktur (płci, rasowych, klasowych, związanych z orientacją seksualną i tożsamością płciową, z niepełnosprawnością), które przekładają się na funkcjonowanie jednostek w świecie pracy, ale także na realizację obowiązku świadczenia pracy w stosunku do społeczeństwa. Dyskutujmy na temat zastosowań teoretycznych i metodologicznych podejścia intersekcjonalnego, przyglądajmy się nowym debatom na temat warsztatu metodologicznego, innowacyjnych metod badań i rezultatów analiz empirycznych oraz wykorzystaniu nauk społecznych w praktyce.

Type of group:
regularna grupa sekcji PTS: Sekcja Socjologii Pracy

Name and surname of the applicant:
Dominika Polkowska Uniwersytet Marii Curie-Skłodowskiej, Lublin

Co-authors:
Sławomira Kamińska-Berezowska Uniwersytet Śląski w Katowicach

Abstract:
Care, as a human right, constitutes one of the key themes in contemporary sociology of work. Broadly understood social reproduction, encompassing both caregiving and care work, remains under constant structural and institutional pressure, despite being fundamental to social life. The COVID-19 pandemic underscored the central role of care professions, particularly in healthcare and education, highlighting their significance for societal functioning. However, despite their crucial role, care work has not been meaningfully revalued—neither economically nor politically. Moreover, the post-pandemic period has not resulted in a fundamental restructuring of public care systems. On the contrary, pre-existing structural deficits and the chronic crisis of public services have been exacerbated by new challenges and constraints.

            The pandemic also brought to the fore the interplay between the work ethic and the ethics of care in ensuring the provision of essential social services. Despite growing forms of precarity, which have also affected public sector employees, their commitment enabled the continuity of care provision.

            At the same time, significant transformations are occurring in the “philosophy of helping” and dominant approaches to support. There is a shift away from a paternalistic intervention model, where the caregiver holds a dominant role over a passive recipient, toward an empowerment-based approach that emphasises activation and the agency of service users. New models of care focus on the co-participation of beneficiaries in the caregiving process and the enforcement of their rights as clients or consumers of care services.

            A particularly pressing issue requiring in-depth analysis is the impact of technological change on approaches to dependent individuals. The development of digital tools has opened new avenues for communication and organisation, facilitating contact and streamlining care services. However, the digitalisation of care relationships also alters the nature of interactions, gradually shifting them from direct to mediated forms. This presents a particular challenge for the oldest and youngest members of society, for whom personal contact is often of fundamental importance. In this context, the issue of the so-called “sandwich generation”—individuals simultaneously caring for children and elderly family members—also emerges as a critical concern.

            We invite submissions addressing care work and its contemporary challenges, shaped by multiple crises—war, migration, economic instability—as well as the opportunities afforded by new technologies. We welcome both empirical (quantitative and qualitative) research and theoretical reflections on the directions of change in care, along with its institutional and social significance.

Type of group:
grupa sekcji PTS: Socjologia Pracy PTS

Name and surname of the applicant:
Agnieszka Kwiatkowska, Uniwersytet SWPS

Co-authors:
Katarzyna Grzybowska-Walecka, Oxford University,
Kinga Wojtas UKSW

Abstract:
“Najmłodsza kohorta wyborczyń i wyborców od dawna stanowi fascynujący przedmiot badań nad partycypacją polityczną ze względu na specyficzne preferencje wyborcze, w najmniejszym stopniu spośród kohort wiekowych wpadające w polaryzację dwublokową PiS-PO, niski poziom identyfikacji partyjnej oraz głęboką nieufność wobec partii politycznych (Norris, 2003; Dalton, 2020). Zachowania wyborcze tej grupy cechuje wysoka zmienność, co czyni ich zarówno nieprzewidywalnym, jak i potencjalnie decydującym segmentem elektoratu (Sloam & Henn, 2019). Również w Polsce w ostatnich latach młode wyborczynie i wyborcy zaczęli pełnić coraz bardziej widoczną rolę. Szczególnie interesującym zjawiskiem jest niestabilna frekwencja wyborcza najmłodszej kohorty wyborców. Choć wcześniejsze badania wskazywały na utrwaloną tendencję – frekwencja w grupie 18-29 lat była o średnio kilkanaście p.p. niższa niż w populacji – to wybory prezydenckie w 2020 roku stanowiły punkt zwrotny – najmłodsza kohorta wiekowa w obu turach niemal zrównała się z ogólną frekwencją. W wyborach parlamentarnych w 2023 roku zaangażowanie polityczne młodych było jednym z kluczowych czynników, które wpłynęły na zmianę obozu rządzącego (IPSOS, 2023). Jednocześnie, wybory samorządowe i europejskie w 2024 roku przyniosły spadek mobilizacji młodych, wskazując na selektywną aktywizację wyborczą, uzależnioną od postrzeganej stawki politycznej (Franklin, 2004). Zaangażowanie polityczne młodych widoczne jest również w sferze polityki pozainstytucjonalnej. Młodzi wybierają działania oddolne, skupiając się przede wszystkim na działalności aktywistycznej, uczestnictwie w ruchach społecznych, protestach i demonstracjach. Równocześnie młodzi obywatele w Polsce manifestują silną polaryzację ideologiczną według płci. Młode kobiety wykazują wyraźne skłonności lewicowe, podczas gdy młodzi mężczyźni coraz częściej skłaniają się ku poglądom konserwatywnym i prawicowym (Sierakowski, 2023; Sadura, Kwiatkowska & Matyja, 2024). To rozwarstwienie widoczne jest nie tylko w preferencjach wyborczych, ale także w aktywności protestacyjnej i angażowaniu się w ruchy społeczne, takie jak Ogólnopolski Strajk Kobiet czy organizacje prawicowe mobilizujące m.in. przeciwko postulatowi liberalizacji praw reprodukcyjnych (Della Porta, 2020). Tak silna polaryzacja według płci nie była obserwowana we wcześniejszych kohortach wiekowych. W kontekście wyborów prezydenckich w 2025 roku kluczowe pytanie brzmi: czy młodzi wyborcy odegrają istotną rolę w procesie wyborczym, czy też powrócą do wcześniejszej apatii politycznej? Istotne jest również pytanie o to, jakie mechanizmy – ekonomiczne, tożsamościowe lub związane z mobilizacją cyfrową – wpłyną na ich decyzje polityczne (Keating & Melis, 2017, Boulianne, 2020).

Panel ma na celu stworzenie przestrzeni dla interdyscyplinarnej debaty nad dynamiką aktywności politycznej młodych ludzi w Polsce, w tym zarówno ich formalnej partycypacji wyborczej, jak i nieformalnych form zaangażowania, takich jak ruchy protestacyjne czy aktywizm w mediach społecznościowych. Zapraszamy do udziału badaczki i badaczy zainteresowanych zarówno analizą studiów przypadków, jak i podejściami porównawczymi, a także tych, którzy poszukują nowych teoretycznych ujęć opisujących zmienność zaangażowania politycznego młodych.”

Type of group:
regularna międzyośrodkowa

Name and surname of the applicant:
Jarosław Flis Uniwersytet Jagielloński

Co-authors:
Paweł Matuszewski Collegium Civitas

Abstract:
This year’s conference takes place just after the conclusion of another electoral cycle. Over the course of less than 18 months, Poles participated in four elections, each preceded by multi-week campaigns. A significant number of voters cast their ballots even a dozen times, considering referendums, two-round elections, and multi-level voting. This makes the topic not only significant and rich but also exceptionally timely for academic inquiry.

The study of electoral phenomena in Poland engages numerous social researchers across various disciplines, including sociology. We aim for our group to serve as a platform for exchanging experiences among these scholars—comparing different research methods, data sources, and theoretical perspectives. We also hope this will provide an opportunity to invite experts from related fields, such as political science, communication studies, law, and social psychology, to join the sociological conference.

We would like to focus particular attention on the interactions between social structure and electoral rules, the ideas shaping political competition, and communication—the fundamental tool of such competition. Each of these areas has its own dynamics, yet none can be considered stable. At the same time, it is worth noting that, despite the rapid pace of social and technological change, Polish political parties demonstrate a unique level of durability within the European context. Clearly, they align well with existing socio-political divisions.

Over the past two years, we have witnessed extraordinary events, most notably the surprising, record-breaking voter turnout in October 2023. We have also observed far smaller-than-expected shifts in public support for parties and candidates in local, regional, and European elections. These developments warrant the focused attention of social researchers to better understand and describe them. We hope that our research group will contribute to this endeavor.

Type of group:
regular inter-centre

Name and surname of the applicant:
Urszula Kluczyńska Collegium Da Vinci Poznań

Co-authors:
Anna Maria Kłonkowska , Uniwersytet Gdański

Abstract:
Studies on men and masculinities emerged as a complement to women’s studies. However, their aim was not to adopt an androcentric perspective, but to look at male experiences immersed in socio-cultural, economic and historical contexts. Over the course of several decades, sociological studies of masculinity have produced theories, typologies, studies of practices and analyses of ever newer areas.

The origins of research on men and masculinity are primarily located in Western culture and English-language discourse. As in many other areas of interest in the social sciences, theories from the centre often remain the point of reference for analyses in the sociology of masculinity. However, as many researchers are currently pointing out, these considerations cannot be directly transferred to the periphery and semi-periphery. The multitude of concepts and theories and the relationship of masculinity studies to other gender studies are also being discussed.

Within the proposed thematic group, we will discuss the history of research and contemporary trends in the sociology of masculinity. We will be interested in both central theories and the specifics of studies originating from the periphery and semi-periphery. We invite you to raise topics related to the research of masculinity practices, as well as the theories. Among the range of topics, we propose to start a discussion on the following, but we also invite you to go beyond the proposed areas:

– Theories of masculinity in research

– Feminist theories in research on men and masculinities

– Intersectionality and postcolonialism in the study of men and masculinities

– Studies on men and masculinities – historical and contemporary perspective

– Hegemonic, subordinated and marginalised masculinities – transformations and reinterpretations

– Toxic masculinities and the costs of masculinity

– Transformations of masculinity, inclusive and hybrid masculinities

– Fathers, carers, caring masculinities

– Men, masculinities and friendship, intimacy, emotions, self-care

– Trans masculinities and cis masculinities

– Men’s bodies, masculine bodies

– Masculinity practices – socio-cultural and historical aspects

– Manosphere as an area of (re)definition

– Men, masculinities and crises

– Men, masculinities, work and economic aspects

– Men, masculinities and sexuality

– Men, masculinities and health

– Men, masculinities and the media

– Men, masculinities and religion

– Boys, men, education

Type of group:
regular inter-centre

Name and surname of the applicant:
Łukasz Kiszkiel, Uniwersytet w Białymstoku

Co-authors:
Piotr Laskowski, Uniwersytet Medyczny w Białymstoku

Abstract:
Health, according to the World Health Organization (WHO), is not merely the absence of disease or disability but a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being. This comprehensive definition emphasizes the need for a holistic approach to health research, considering various dimensions of human functioning. Interdisciplinary research on well-being integrates perspectives from sociology, psychology, public health, and medical sciences, enabling a deeper understanding of the factors influencing health in its broadest sense.

A key example of such an approach is population-based research, particularly cohort studies, which play a crucial role in contemporary health analyses. These studies not only identify the determinants of health but also track health trajectories over time, allowing for a better understanding of the mechanisms shaping physical, mental, and social well-being. Modern research in this field increasingly relies on interdisciplinary tools and methodologies, combining perspectives from social sciences, medical sciences, and health sciences.

Sociology plays a key role in this context by providing insights into the social environment in which individuals operate. Social structures, interpersonal relationships, economic inequalities, and cultural norms directly influence health outcomes. Sociological analyses also examine how social variables such as education, occupation, level of social support, and lifestyle affect health in the long term.

An example of the effective application of an interdisciplinary approach is the Białystok Plus project, which integrates medical, sociological, and epidemiological data to better understand the determinants of health among residents of northeastern Poland. Although this project focuses on a specific population, its methodology can be adapted to other social and geographical groups. Similar studies conducted across Europe and globally enable the analysis of interactions between biological, environmental, and social factors, which is crucial for developing effective health policies.

Collaboration between sociologists, physicians, psychologists, epidemiologists, and public health specialists facilitates a holistic approach to studying population health. This approach considers not only individual factors such as genetics or lifestyle but also broader social determinants such as access to healthcare, housing conditions, and social support.

The aim of the thematic group “Health Matters! Interdisciplinary Research on Physical, Mental, and Social Well-Being from a Sociological Perspective” is to present original, interdisciplinary research that combines social science perspectives with analyses of health changes in populations. Special emphasis is placed on identifying health determinants and tracking health changes in both the short and long term. We encourage submissions of studies that address challenges arising from dynamic changes in the socio-health environment and propose innovative methods for monitoring population health.

Type of group:
regular inter-centre