Dear colleagues,
The World Sociology Forum brings together over 4,000 researchers from over 100 countries. This is an opportunity to share the results of our research, but also our thoughts on the state of sociology and the threats facing the social sciences.
The declaration “A time for sociology” gathers some of the main challenges for sociology and social sciences in our times and reaffirm the values we share as sociologists, researchers, teachers and public intellectuals. It reaffirms the essential role of social scientists in defending academic freedom, promoting democracy, and deepening public debate grounded in facts, historical awareness, and solidarity. Today, more than ever, we need a sociology that is rigorous, independent, critical, public, general, and global.
We invite all sociologists and social scientists to sign this declaration – let’s stand together for a sociology that builds a more just, livable, peaceful and sustainable future.
Link to endorse the declaration https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScv2LqHHSzsEfsZqstlW6I08TwO2NN5a6j3PvZ2XDM_fPcM0Q/viewform
Watch the address here: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=g5D76P5RN_ch
Watch the full opening ceremony here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rjXjs5oRGcI
Please join the campaign by signing it and diffusing this message in your RC/WG/TG, your National Association and among your colleagues.
Geoffrey Pleyers
President of the International Sociological Association
A Time for Sociology
At a time when state leaders are promoting distrust in science and attacks on the social sciences are multiplying;
At a time when fake news circulates more widely and with greater impact than research-based analysis;
At a time when many political leaders are spreading hate speech and denying part of the population the right to full citizenship;
At a time when the dehumanization of entire categories of people is once again becoming a widespread tool for asserting and consolidating power;
At a time when scientific evidence is being denied in order to dismiss systemic environmental and societal emergencies;
At a time when states are repressing those who speak out against genocide, systemic violence and racism;
At a time when an unprecedented concentration of wealth allows a small number of multimillionaires to control mass and social media;
At a time when humanity is facing interconnected global crises that will determine the lives of generations to come;
At a time when academic freedom is under threat, even in established democracies;
We believe that critical interventions by social scientists are more essential than ever.
And we reaffirm the values and commitments at the core of our work as researchers, educators, and public intellectuals.
We stand for:
We firmly believe that social sciences and academic freedom are intrinsic to democracy and must be protected and promoted.
We believe that informed, historically grounded, and sociologically relevant public debate is vital to understanding and navigating the crises of our times.
We are convinced that sociology not only helps us understand the world, but also to build a more just, livable, peaceful and sustainable future.
At a time of climate change, war, rising inequality and hatred, sociology has become an indispensable tool for living together on a finite planet.
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Geoffrey Pleyers
FNRS Research Director & Professor UCLouvain, Belgium
President of the International Sociological Association