Community News 2006 - 2014

SASA congress keynote address in Mail&Guardian - posted on 4 August 2014
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http://mg.co.za/article/2014-07-31-decentralised-procurement-fails-the-state

Academic position at the University of Johannesburg - posted on 4 April 2014
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Advert Summary

Advert Details

Statement - posted in December 2013
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Statement - posted to SASA mailing list on 1 November 2013
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Academic position at North West University - posted on 6 November 2013
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RESTRUCTURING THE ISA - OPEN LETTER TO THE ISA MEMBERSHIP

Dear Member:

  In a few days the representatives of the Research Committees and National
Associations (in good standing) will be asked to vote on organizational changes in
the ISA that have been proposed by the ISA Executive Committee.

The proposed changes involve the re-composition of the program committee for World
Congresses that will give wider representation to Research Committees and National
Associations and enable future ISA Presidents to play a more direct role in shaping
World Congress programs. If the proposals pass then they will take effect at the
2014 World Congress in Yokohama.

The details of the changes can be found at
http://www.isa-sociology.org/restructuring-of-the-isa/ [1]. There you will also find
the rationales for and against the changes as well as the modification in the ISA
Statutes and By-laws that the changes will require. All 4 documents can be found in
the three official languages of the ISA, but the English version will govern in case
of ambiguity.

We encourage you to read the materials and post your comments and suggestions on the
blog and if you have questions I and others will try to answer them. Don't hesitate
to get in touch with your representatives to express your views!

  All changes in ISA Statutes and By-laws have to be approved by the Assembly of
Councils, which is composed of the representatives of the Research Committees and
National Associations (in good standing). They will have 90 days to register their
vote.

  Best wishes for an engaging and open discussion.

  Yours sincerely,

  Michael Burawoy
  ISA President

Defend Democracy in SASA

At the 2012 SASA conference, held at UCT, a presenter from an Israeli university built on occupied Palestinian territory contemptuously rejected requests that he distance himself from his government’s illegal occupation of Palestinian land. In response, every sociologist in the room walked out, and held the session elsewhere.  Subsequently, the following resolution was put to SASA’s governing  body, its Annual General Meeting (AGM): 

Any academic from an Israeli institution who wishes to be invited to present a paper at a SASA conference must first indicate his/her opposition to Israeli rule in the occupied territories.

This resolution was passed by an overwhelming majority, with about a quarter of the meeting abstaining and fewer than ten people voting against. Despite this overwhelming adoption of the resolution, the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (Cape Town) exerted pressure on the SASA Council through a complaint about the specific incident and the subsequent resolution. This resulted in the Council revisiting the resolution, culminating - despite reported differences amongst Council members - in a decision of Council that the resolution was unconstitutional. The Council offered two reasons.

First, it said that motions had to be tabled 24 hours before the AGM, which had not occurred. But, technically, this was not a motion, it was a resolution (which had been brought to the AGM immediately after the incident). From the constitution, it is clear that 24 hours notice is not required. Clause 7(c) states:

At the Annual Meeting, a majority of the voting members present may: i) place items on the agenda of that Meeting; (ii) pass resolutions binding on the Council …

The second argument was that some of the people who voted were not members.  While indeed it is necessary for the Council to ensure that only paid-up members participate in the voting process, in the last decade this requirement has never been strictly adhered to. This therefore cannot be a basis on which to nullify the resolution. The danger here is that if the resolution is unconstitutional on these grounds, then the election of Council would be as well, and all decisions of Council since then would be nullified. This would retrospectively also apply to any previous Councils and AGMs where this was the case. This is therefore a potentially very damaging argument for the organisational integrity of SASA. Had the President genuinely believed that he erred in allowing the AGM to consider the resolution, the proper recourse would have been to resign. Alternatively, the Council could have taken the view that, since a substantial majority of members backed the resolution, it would accept the decision as binding.

In practice, the Council overturned a resolution that was democratically adopted by the AGM. This poses a threat to SASA’s internal democracy as well as SASA’s role in broader societal affairs. We call on all SASA members to support this petition for the reinstatement and immediate implementation of the resolution.  We also request that you support the call for the following motion, headed ‘Defence of Democracy in SASA’, to be the first item on the agenda of the forthcoming AGM of the South African Sociological Association.

This Annual General Meeting, being the final decision making body of SASA:

1.  Notes that the following resolution was passed by an overwhelming majority at the 2012 AGM: ‘Any academic from an Israeli institution who wishes to be invited to present a paper at a SASA conference must first indicate his/her opposition to Israeli rule in the occupied territories.’

2.  Expresses its disapproval of the SASA Council’s decision to repudiate this resolution.

3. Re-affirms the resolution as the democratic decision of the AGM of SASA.

4. Reiterates that the resolution is binding on the Council in accordance with Article 7(c)(ii) of the SASA Constitution.

If you support this petition and motion, please send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with the following subject: I support the 'Defence of Democracy in SASA' petition and motion. Include your name, institutional affiliation, and any other SASA-relevant information.

We hope you will support this cause. Without democracy SASA is incapable of representing its members and its capacity to defend societal democracy is severely compromised.

Sincerely,

Prof. Jimi Adesina (Research Chair in Social Policy, University of South Africa), President of SASA, 2004-06.

Prof. Fred Hednricks (Dean, Faculty of Humanties, Rhodes University), President of SASA, 2000-02.

Prof. Peter Alexander (Research Chair in Social Change, University of Johannesburg), Vice President of SASA, 2007-09, SARS editor 2008-10.

Dr. Shireen Ally (University of the Witwatersrand), SARS editor, 2009-12, SASA Council member, 2008-11.

Prof. Mokong Simon Mapadimeng (North-West University, Mafikeng Campus), President of SASA, 2007-09, Council member, 2010-13 .

Prof. David Cooper (Head, Department of Sociology, University of Cape Town), SASA Council member, 2011-12.

Ms. Babalwa Sishuta (Rhodes University), Vice President of SASA, 2012-13.

This link takes you to a statement on the Marikana Massacre:  http://marikanastatement.blogspot.com/

We invite all social scientists in South Africa, including doctoral students and associated scholars, to add their name to the list of statement supporters.

This a matter of urgent concern and we will close the list on Friday 21 September, after which we will publish the statement and list of signatories.

Please forward this email to other South African social scientists.

A list of initial signatories appears below, and further down you will find the text of the statement.

Best regards,

Prof. Edward Webster (Wits)

Prof. Peter Alexander (UJ).

Initial signatories

Prof. Freek Cronje, Northwest University, President: South African Sociological Association
Prof. Eddie Webster, University of the Witwatersrand
Prof. Jacklyn Cock, University of the Witwatersrand
Prof. Peter Alexander, University of Johannesburg

Prof. Shireen Hassim, University of the Witwatersrand
Prof. Norman Duncan, University of Pretoria, Dean: Faculty of Humanities
Dr. Kelly Gillespie, University of the Witwatersrand
Prof. Ari Sitas, University of Cape Town
Prof. Noor Nieftergodien, University of the Witwatersrand
Prof. Maxi Schoeman, University of Pretoria
Prof. Jimi Adesina, University of the Western Cape
Prof. Francis Nyamjoh, Univeristy of Cape Town
Prof. Michael Burawoy, University of the Witwatersrand, President: International Sociological Association
Prof. Tina Uys, University of Johannesburg, Vice President: International Sociological Association
Prof. Henning Melber, University of Pretoria
Dr Nolwazi Mkhwanazi, University of the Witwatersrand
Prof. Peter Vale, University of Johannesburg
Prof. Roger Southall, University of the Witwatersrand
Prof. Jane Duncan, Rhodes University
Prof. Dirk Kotze, UNISA
Prof. Andries Bezuidenhout, University of Pretoria
Salim Vally, University of Johannesburg
Prof. Lawrence Hamilton, University of Johannesburg
Prof. John Daniel, School of International Training, Durban
Dr Hylton White, University of the Witwatersrand.

Marikana: Statement by South African Social Scientists

As social scientists we share with the public of South Africa the sense of shock and outrage that followed the recent massacre at Marikana. We offer our heartfelt condolences to the families and friends of those who died.
 
As social scientists we also respond to what has happened in a particular way. Our disciplines avoid episodic description and uncritical acceptance of official statements. Through our research and teaching, we aim to contribute to an examination of social structures, social processes and social context, making sense of these historically and with awareness that they have political significance. Our research aims to reveal phenomena that are hidden, rather than rely on reports of what is immediately visible.

Our analyses are leading us to a recognition of continuities from our apartheid past, with these exposed through events at Marikana. These include:

• massive inequalities that impact adversely on all aspects of the social life of people who are poorer;
• widespread prevalence of low wages (with the persistence of migrant labour and the expansion of outsourcing, subcontracting and informal employment, all of which exacerbate pre-existing problems);
• increased levels of unemployment, especially among young people;
• a system of production based on private profit at the expense of people’s needs;
• domination of the economy by the mining industry, and, with this, repatriation of profits by foreign investors;
• racism that is structural as well as interpersonal;
• growing violence, including hidden violence associated with poverty;
• the prevalence of shacks and other low-cost housing, generally accompanied by the poor provision of basic services; and
• highly repressive forms of public order policing and administration (including the use of the doctrine of common purpose).

Popular perceptions of the Lonmin Marikana mine massacre were initially shaped by TV footage of a single part of the massacre, viewed from the standpoint of the police. This account was reinforced by media briefings, prejudiced reporting, and opinions that blamed the violence on inter-union rivalries. Social scientific research giving weight to accounts by workers has emphasised the culpability of the police, flawed and biased official versions of events, sympathetic treatment of popular culture, and the unity of workers around a demand for a living wage.

Moreover, as social scientists we have a normative concern with defending truth, justice and democracy. And from this stance, we join others in civil society, in calling for:  

• condemnation of the killing of strikers by the police, and the threat to the right to strike that this implies;
• recognition of the complicity of Lonmin, which has responded to workers with intransigence and insensitivity;
• appreciation that the gross inequality of rewards that exists at Lonmin, as elsewhere in mining and beyond, is indefensible;
• support for the legitimate demands of workers for substantially improved pay;
• a welcoming of the Judicial Commission of Enquiry and the investigation by the Independent Police Investigative Directorate (IPID);
• consideration of demands by civil society organisations for expansion of its terms of reference of the Commission of Enquiry;
• full and sympathetic consideration of evidence by Lonmin strikers and community members in the areas around Marikana;
• determination of who authorised the use of live ammunition at Marikana;
• an IPID-led inquest or investigation into each individual death;
• careful monitoring of the Commission of Enquiry by independent civil society researchers;
• criminal charges to be brought against any police officer who terminated or endangered the lives of civilians by ordering or implementing orders to use live ammunition, or who tortured protesters while they were held in custody;
• disbanding the task forces that carried out the massacre;
• suspending those responsible for mismanagement of the processing of the crime scene;
• dismissal of  the Acting Director of the National Prosecuting Authority, who accepted the use of ‘common purpose’ in charging all those arrested with murder;
• dismissal of those who authorised a violent assault on the mine workers; 
• the unfettered right of workers to belong to a union of their choice, combined with the promotion of strong, democratic unions; and
• immediate lump-sum payments and ongoing support to the families of miners and others killed at Marikana, and full compensation for those who were injured.

WITS UNIVERSITY

SOCIOLOGY

LECTURER, SENIOR LECTURER/

The Department of Sociology in the School of Social Sciences enjoys an international reputation for outstanding teaching, research and public engagement, particularly in the fields of economic and industrial sociology, development sociology and health sociology. We are seeking to make THREE tenure-track appointments at the level of Lecturer/Senior Lecturer. Applicants from all fields of sociology are invited to apply, although preference will be given to those candidates able to teach in the broad areas of industrial, economic and development sociology; health sociology; political economy and political sociology; environmental sociology.

The successful applicants will have a record of research and publications appropriate to their levels of appointment, a commitment to teaching, learning and public engagement, and experience with culturally and linguistically diverse populations.

Qualifications: PhD in Sociology or related discipline; and relative to level of appointment, an established research record, including publications in internationally recognised journals; and proven teaching record, preferably including strong post-graduate supervisory experience.

Duties: Undergraduate and postgraduate teaching, research supervision, a willingness to help build the discipline as well as service to the School, the university, the profession and the wider South African community.

Remuneration: The salaries will be at university levels, commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Professor Roger Southall, + 27 11 717 4451; This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

To apply: Submit a covering letter, clearly indicating the post and level(s) applied for, detailed CV with names, addresses and details (including e-mail addresses) of three academic referees, a non-returnable writing sample of a sole authored publication, and certified copies of identity documents and qualifications to Helen Chemaly, Faculty Humanities Human Resources Office, University of the Witwatersrand, Private Bag 3, WITS 2050.

: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Closing date: 27th July 2012

Dear colleagues

The SARS editorial team would like to thank Liela Groenewald and the team at Taylor and Francis for arranging access for paid-up SASA members to the online content of the South African Review of Sociology.

SASA members can access SARS online by:

a) Logging in to the secure members area on the SASA site http://www.sasaonline.org.za/

b) Hovering over the SARS tab and clicking on 'Members' Free Access'

You will be re-directed to the journal's site and will be able to access all the material that appeared in SARS from 2010 onwards. Back issues from 2001 are still available under 'Past Editions'.

Hard copies of the journal will, of course, still be sent to all paid-up members.

Kind regards
Marcelle Dawson
(on behalf of the SARS editorial collective)

__________________________________________________________
Dr Marcelle C. Dawson
Senior Researcher
Associated with the South African Research Chair in Social Change
University of Johannesburg
Research Village, House 4 (Bunting Road Campus)
PO Box 524, AUCKLAND PARK, 2006
Tel.: +27 11 559 4272
Fax: +27 11 559 1439

Lecturer position at Rhodes University - apply by 15 January.

Item posted on 26 August 2009
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• 1 new item posted on 18 August 2009

Submitted by the editors: Peter Alexander, Shireen Ally, Marcelle Dawson and Bridget Kenny

Following discussions between the editors of SARS and Taylor & Francis, it is likely that our journal will be published by T&F under its Routledge imprint from the beginning of 2010. It is anticipated that in future SARS will be published three times a year. We still require clarity on some matters and any agreement on this important matter rests with the Council of SASA. In the meantime, the editors are once again considering papers for publication. At this stage two types of contribution will be considered.

1) Articles. Standard research articles or review articles that should be 5,000-8,000 words long. They should be accompanied by an abstract, not more than 200 words long, that summarises the argument made, indicating its novelty.

2) Briefings. Shorter papers, 1,500-3,000 words long. These should be based on research related to topical issue or report recent findings that might shape academic debate.

Those who know the Review of African Political Economy will be familiar with the distinction between articles and briefings. In both cases, papers will be peer reviewed if they have the potential to be accepted (that is, they are relevant to the South African sociological community and might be considered acceptable by a reviewer). To assist the journal fulfil its developmental mandate, potential contributors who have not yet been published in an academic journal should indicate that thet are a first time author.

In the future, articles and briefings may be submitted at any time, but for the next ssue the following deadlines apply:

Articles: 12 September

Briefings: 15 October

Contributions should be submitted to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

The journal will also include Debates and a small section of Community News. Information about these will be made available later. The editors will also be announcing a deadline for proposals for special issues of the journal. For further information about SARS, including it new vision, see the editors’ report to the AGM, which is available on the SASA web site.

Also see this document which included the AGM report.

Item posted on 3 August 2009
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• Item posted on 15 July 2009

• Item posted on 28 June 2009

POTCHEFSTROOMKAMPUS

FAKULTEIT LETTERE EN WYSBEGEERTE

SKOOL VIR SOSIALE EN OWERHEIDSTUDIES

LEKTOR/ JUNIOR LEKTOR: SOSIOLOGIE

Minimum vereistes: Vir die Junior lektor ‘n BA (Hons) in Sosiologie met onderrigleer- en navorsingsbetrokkenheid of vir die Lektor ‘nMA in Sosiologie met ongeveer 3 jaar onderrigervaring en bewys van navorsingsuitsette gelewer.

Die Universiteit onderskryf die beginsels van die Wet op Gelyke Indiensneming en pas hierdie beginsels toe. Terwyl meriete, gegrond op kwalifikasies, ervaring en bewese prestasies, die grondslag vir aanstellings uitmaak, is die Universiteit verbind tot die behoefte daaraan om te transformeer en sy personeelprofiel te diversifiseer.

Die Universiteit behou die reg voor om nie ? aanstelling te maak nie.

Sluitingsdatum: 10 Julie 2009.

Diensaanvaarding: Soos ooreengekom met die suksesvolle kandidaat.

Vergoeding en byvoordele: ? Mededingende vergoedingspakket kan beding word. Aantreklike studievoordele sowel as die gewone byvoordele geld.

Vir ? volledige POSPROFIEL en’n AANSOEKVORM, skakel die Departement Mensehulpbronne, tel. (018) 299 4960/4961 of stuur ? e-pos na This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

________________________________________________________________

The North-West University invites applications for the following position:

POTCHEFSTROOM CAMPUS

FACULTY OF ARTS

SCHOOL OF SOCIAL AND GOVERNMENT STUDIES

LECTURER / JUNIOR LECTURER: SOCIOLOGY

Minimum requirements: For the Junior lecturer a BA (Hons) in Sociology with teaching-learning and research involvement or for the Lecturer a MA in Sociology with approximately 3 years’ teaching experience and proof of research output.

The University subscribes to and applies the principles of the Employment Equity Act. While merit, based on qualifications, experience and proven achievements, forms the basis for appointment, the University is committed to the need to transform and diversify its staff profile. The University reserves the right not to make an appointment.

Closing date:10 July 2009

Commencement of duties: As agreed with the successful candidate.

Remuneration and fringe benefits:A competitive remuneration package is negotiable. Attractive study benefits as well

as the normal fringe benefits apply.

For a JOB PROFILE AND APPLICATION FORM, contact the Human Resources Department,

tel. (018) 299-4960 / 4961 or e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

• Item posted on 19 June 2009

• Item posted on 20 February 2009

CONFERENCE ON ‘COMPREHENDING CLASS’

A conference organized by the University of the Johannesburg’s Centre for Sociological Research with the University of the Witwatersrand’ History Workshop and the Rosa Luxemburg Foundation.

To be held in Johannesburg, 23-26 June 2009

The world is now a more unequal place than at any point in our lifetimes. In an earlier era, this polarization would have been understood – in popular as well as academic discourse - through the language of ‘class’. The meaning of this concept was always contested, and it had various references – class structure, class position, class consciousness, and so on – but few doubted that classes existed and mattered politically. Now, though, many social theorists and political actors have abandoned the idea, and most would be hard pressed to provide definitions with much confidence. Nor has the assault been purely ideological. Evidence from different corners of the world reveals that individual class identities are flexible, often multiple, and sometimes absent, and social structures have changed in ways that can appear to defy assessment in terms of class.

This conference takes, as its starting point, three assumptions:

1)Class is an essential concept for understanding history, and it remains an important basis for popular mobilization against inequality and marginalization. However, critiques of class are not merely about intellectual fashion; they also reflect changing realities

2)There is a pressing need for research and debate on the meaning of class, both with respect to class identity and class structure, and also in relation to other ways of understanding the social world and political change.

3)There is much to be gained from an engagement between people trying to make sense of the concept in different parts of the world, and between academics on the one hand and activist intellectuals on the other.

Hitherto, most of the literature on class has been generated in the North. This conference aims to expand debate by also drawing on experiences and research from the South. A dialogue between North and South will highlight the extent to which, in our globalized world, classes are universal or geographically conditioned. South Africa has greater inequality and worse unemployment than almost anywhere else in the world, and the conference’s location will underline the importance of factoring the realities of poverty into any class-based understanding of society.

The following are some of the themes and questions the organizers would like to consider:

• Is there a poor class separate from the working class?
• Why do so many people describe themselves as middle class?
• How is class consciousness diffused and defused?
• To what extent have marketing and the media changed perceptions of class?
• Can contemporary views of class reshape the ways we think of the past?
• How has class shaped struggles for democracy in the era of globalization?
• How does class intersect with race, ethnicity, nation, gender and generation?
• What is the relationship between class, faith and politics?
• Is class politics still relevant?
• Has globalization globalized class experience?
• Is there a new ‘Empire’ of capital?
• Does language shape the meaning of class?
• Can there be exploitation without class?
• Has urbanization eradicated the peasantry?

Participation in the conference will be based on the presentation of a paper that presents an original idea based on evidence. This might be a traditional academic paper, but we also invite contributions from union, social movement and NGO activists. The organizers will select papers on the basis of an abstract, no more than 300 words long, summarizing the purpose of the proposed paper. Please email your abstract to Annelize Naidoo at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Remember include the title of the paper, your name, institutional affiliation, email address, and fax and telephone numbers.

Keynote speakers include: Erik Olin-Wright (Wisconsin-Madison), Satish Deshpande (Delhi), Alex Callinicos (King’s College, London), Birgit Mahnkopf (Berlin School of Economics), Celi Scalon (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro).

Final date for submission of abstracts: 6 April 2009

Final date for submission of paper: 25 May 2008

Registration fees. OECD countries (full): R2500. OECD countries (students): R1,500. Non-OECD (full): R1000. Non-OECD (students): R600. A few bursaries for participation from non-OECD countries are available to cover registration. Applicants for these should email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. including their CV. Payment can be made by Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT). For this, use the following information. ABSA Bank, branch code:632005, account number: 405 628 0705 (University of Johannesburg). Give you first initial and surname as the reference.

Accommodation. We strongly advise participants to arrange their accommodation in one of the many guest house in the Melville district of Johannesburg. This is pleasant and safe area with many restaurants and bars. Transport will be arranged to take participants to and from Melville and the conference venue. Our transport will also assist participants staying at the Millpark Holiday Inn.

You may be interested to know that our conference will be followed by the annual conference of the South African Sociological Association, which will be held at the University of the Witwatersrand from 28 June – 2 July. Also, the FIFA Confederation Cup will be held in South Africa from 14 - 28 June. Whilst this will make a visit to Johannesburg more interesting for some, it also means that participants should book accommodation as soon as possible

• Item posted on 11 November 2008

All BSA study groups have been strongly encouraged to contribute posters/ papers and other activities addressed to these streams. There will also be opportunities for study groups to meet independently.

Plenary speakers at the conference have been confirmed as Patricia Hill Collins from the University of Maryland, USA and Boaventura de Sousa Santos from the University of Coimbra, Portugal and University of Madison-Wisconsin, USA. They will speak on topics relating to the 2009 conference theme:

The Challenge of Global Social Inquiry

Within each of the main streams a sub-plenary will be organised to address the Conference theme. These sub-plenaries will be staggered across the Conference timetable.

Further information available from:

BSA Website: www.britsoc.co.uk/events/Conference

• Item posted on 28 October 2008

The Indian Sociological Society (ISS) is having its conference for the All India Sociological Society in Jaipur, India from 27 to 29 December. Fees vary between A,B and C category counties and SA falls under the B category as stipulated by the ISA. Access full details of the conference on the following sites: www.uniraj.ernet.in/conferences/socio2008.html and http://www.insoso.org. For more information, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

• Item posted on 9 October 2008

• Item posted on 1 September 2008

Call for nominations and applications for the South African Review of Sociology (SARS), a Journal of the South African Sociological Association (SASA).

The editorial collective’s term of office is four years. Although the editing of the journal is non-remunerative, it however offers the incumbents a challenging and fulfilling experience in editing and spearheading one of South Africa’s well established and respected SAPSE accredited journals. This is also an opportunity to contribute towards the building of a transformed scholarly community of sociologists in South Africa.

The editorial collective’s main responsibilities will include:

• Leading the journal by making editorial decisions

• Upholding the values and principles as well as the vision of the SASA in terms of pursuing the new initiatives and addressing challenges as highlighted above,

• Being accountable to the SASA membership through reports on the journal’s progress and the finances at the SASA Annual General Meeting (AGMs),

• Convening the AGM of the Journal at the SASA annual conferences aimed at dealing with matters pertaining to the journal,

• Appointing a senior editor or convenor from amongst members of the editorial collective, and

• Approaching guest editors, where necessary, for the special issues of the journal.

The SASA Council is thus delighted to invite nominations and/or applications for the editorial collective for a new term of four years. Nominations and applications are invited from currently registered members of SASA only. When nominating or applying, the following information should be supplied:

• the nominee or applicant's full name
• the nominee or applicant's CV

Department of Sociology
Rhodes University
Grahamstown
Tel: 046 6038868
Phone: 0832326646
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

 

• Item posted on 13 August 2008

• 1 new item posted on 7 August 2008

CALL FOR PAPERS

BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION
ANNUAL CONFERENCE 2009

Thursday 16^th – Saturday 18^th April 2009, Cardiff City Hall, Cardiff

The 2009 Conference is a new way of organising the annual conference of the Association. Instead of the call for papers being organised under a single conference theme, participants can present on whatever topics they wish within broad streams (and open streams) that reflect the core research areas of the membership:

All BSA study groups are strongly encouraged to contribute posters/ papers and other activities addressed to these streams. There will also be opportunities for study groups to meet independently. The BSA Presidential Address and two Keynote Plenaries organised to address the Conference theme:

The Challenge of Global Social Inquiry

Within each of the main streams a sub-plenary will be organised to address the Conference theme. These sub-plenaries will be staggered across the Conference timetable.

• 1 new item posted on 15 July 2008

Click here for advertisement for projects' officer position with the UJ Centre for Sociological research. Queries to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Apply online at http://www.ujhb.drm-za.com/.

Constitutional amendment proposed on forum. All SASA members please read.

• 1 new item posted on 9 June 2008

From Universiy World News, 9 June 2008

AFRICA: Sociologist to lead donor's regional programmes

Date: 08 June 2008 Nigerian sociologist Dr Omotade "Tade" Akin Aina has been selected as programme director of higher education in Africa for the Carnegie Corporation of New York. It was announced last week that Aina - whose widely recognised research has investigated urban poverty, governance and development - would "refine and implement the corporation's strategy to accelerate economic and social development in Africa by strengthening teaching, research, scholarship and leadership". Aina, who for the past decade has been the Ford Foundation's regional representative for East Africa based in Kenya, will join Carnegie Corporation in September. Both Ford and Carnegie are founding members of the Partnership for Higher Education in Africa, a consortium of foundations that are investing $300 million over the decade to 2010 in higher education on the continent. The partnership has been supporting the development of university infrastructure and capacity, especially information technologies and internet connectivity. "Africa's vibrant universities are helping to prepare a new generation of leaders in civil society, industry and government who can meet the continent's many needs," said Aina in a Carnegie Corporation statement. "We must continue to find innovative approaches to strengthening these institutions while pioneering new ways of linking them to offer the highest quality instruction to scholars, scientists and humanists." Aina studied sociology at the University of Lagos and the London School of Economics, and has a doctorate from the University of Sussex. He became a professor specialising in urban poverty, governance and development at the University of Lagos, and published widely on a range of issues. He was also an activist, co-founding the Nigerian Environmental Study Team and the Lagos Group for the Study of Human Settlements. Before joining the Ford Foundation in 1998, Aina was deputy executive secretary of the Dakar-based Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa. He has spoken and written about African universities, including authoring a monograph critically assessing the history of higher education on the continent, Quality and Relevance: African Universities in the 21st Century. "Tade's grasp of Africa's complex development needs, the difficult questions he asks and the truths he seeks will help the Corporation better understand the challenges in building human capacity," said Carnegie's president, Vartan Gregorian. "Throughout his career as a scholar and administrator, he has worked with determination to develop routes toward deepening democratisation, reforming public policy and building civil society." Gregorian added that Aina was selected after an international search for a leader who understands the imperative for human resource development in Africa, and champions the role of universities in development. Created by Andrew Carnegie in 1911 to promote "the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and understanding", the corporation's capital fund had a market value of US$3 billion last year. In Africa, Carnegie is working in South Africa, Tanzania, Uganda, Ghana and Nigeria, investing in initiatives that include networks of scholars and institutional support for universities and libraries.

• 1 new item posted on 16 May 2008

• 1 new item posted on 1 April 2008

Registration for the 2008 SASA Congress is now open. The deadline for online submission of abstracts has been extended to 18 April. The 2008 SASA Congress registration form can be found on the SASA website, under SASA conferences. Reduced conference fees will be limited to those who have received confirmation that their 2008 membership is up-to-date from the SASA treasurer.

• 1 new item posted on 11 December 2007

Arrangements for the 2008 SASA Congress are well under way. The Call for Papers has been published on the website and abstracts may be submitted online. Please click on the relevant menu item for more information.

SASA's Google mailing list is another important source of up-to-date information on the conference and other matters, so please ensure that you are subscribed to that group at http://groups.google.co.za/group/sociology-south-africa?hl=af&lnk=srg .

• 1 new item posted on 15 November 2007

Conference announcement:

2008 Social Sciences Conference

Confronting Inequalities: Social Sciences and Public Challenges

Venue

• Preferably Birchwood – Arlene to check availability.
• All expenses supported/fully funded

Publishing

• Discussants at the conference should act as first peer reviewers
• Revised papers must be submitted by presenters by 2 February 2009

• 1 new item posted on 1 November 2007

2007 Student Paper Competition - S Ally, 2007/11/01 15:00

The South African Sociological Association hereby invites submissions for the Best Student Paper Presented to the 2007 Annual Congress in Potchefstroom

First Prize: Book Prize, plusOne year’s subscription to the South African Review of Sociology and free registration for 2008 SASA Annual Congress

Eligibility: All postgraduate students registered at a South African university (full-time or part-time) for an Honours or Masters in Sociology who presented a paper at the 2007 Annual Congress are eligible for the competition.

Submission Information: All papers should be submitted via e-mail in MS Word format to the Chair of the Selection Committee, Dr Shireen Ally: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Selection and Announcement:

The Selection Committee, comprising members selected by the SASA Council, will review all eligible submissions, and select a winner.

Deadline: 14 December 2007

• 1 new item posted on 19 August 2007

To join SASA's new spam-free google list, please go to

http://groups.google.co.za/group/sociology-south-africa?hl=af&lnk=srg

and follow the instructions.

• 2 new items posted on 10 July 2007

To Whom It May Concern

I am Antonella Spanò, board Member of the Italian Sociological Association (AIS).

The AIS, in collaboration with the Faculty of Sociology, at the Federico II University of Naples have carried out a project for the online publication of abstracts pertaining to the scientific work written by members of the Association: ItalSoL (Italian Sociology on Line) in English.

The project, begun in 2004, updates its database every year, and in the past
has distributed a Cd to all the participants at the XVIth World Congress of Sociology in Durban. At present almost 600 abstracts of printed works written by AIS members are included in the data base. The next update, planned for September, will bring the total of abstracts from 2003 to 2007 up to about 1000.

The online database permits bibliographical research by author, title, or word in the abstract, and by keyword. For each bibliographical reference, it is possible to find the following information: the title in Italian, complete bibliographical references, title in English, author’s Department and e-mail, abstract in English, keywords in English.
As the aim of our project is to make Italian sociology better known, it would be very important for us to enter into collaboration with sociology associations in other countries. I am writing therefore to ask you to kindly put the ItalSoL link on your association’s site. The link is: http://www.ais-sociologia.it/modules/italsol/index.php

Thank you very much for your help. I look forward to hearing from you
soon.

Yours Sincerely,
Antonella Spanò

Prof. Antonella Spanò, Università degli Studi di Napoli Federico II
Dipartimento di Sociologia
Vico Monte di Pietà n.1, 80134 Napoli
Tel. 0039 081 2535845
e-mai address This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

1968: Impact and Implications

Call for Papers

This conference is timed to coincide with the fortieth anniversary of May 1968. It seeks to provide a forum for reflecting back on the events of that time as well as thinking about their implications for current and future endeavours – theoretical and political. Alongside plenary events with keynote speakers and roundtables, there will also be a number of parallel paper sessions. We would welcome ideas for roundtables and papers on the following streams:

• The Legacy of 1968: Sociological and Theoretical Considerations
• Social Movements: Theory and Practice
• Global Considerations
• Feminism and Women’s Movements
• Questioning Science and Expertise
• Civil Rights Movements in the US
• Empire, Decolonization, Postcolonial Others
• Transforming Sexualities: Gay Liberation and Beyond
• Poetry, Art, and Performance
• Critical Theory and Protest
• The Situationists and Subversion
• The Rise and Fall (and Rise) of Marxism
• Structuralism, Post-structuralism, Politics
• Black Power and Pan-Africanism
• Student Politics and the Politics of Education
• The Post-68 Subject: Personhood and Self
• Poster Presentations
• Open stream

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS (confirmed):

Conference Organizing Team:

Gurminder K. Bhambra (Warwick), Ipek Demir (Leicester), Helen Gregory (Exeter),

Timo Juetten (Sussex), Steve Kemp (Edinburgh), Maki Kimura (Open University),

Sasha Roseneil (Birkbeck)

We expect this conference to be very popular and request that you submit abstracts in good time.

• 1 new item posted in March 2007

Readership / Chair in Sociology

School of Languages and Social Sciences

£40,335 to 46,758 p.a. exceptionally up to £51,095
Professorial minimum £46,625 p.a.

The School of Languages and Social Sciences is expanding its Social Sciences portfolio and seeking to make a key appointment in Sociology. We are a multidisciplinary School including Languages, Politics, International Relations, Sociology and European Studies. We have a long-standing reputation for excellence, achieving Grade 5 RAE in 2001.

The successful applicant will make a major contribution to academic leadership, research and teaching. Candidates should have a strong international research profile and a proven ability of securing external research grants. Successful experience of supervising research and sustained excellence in teaching is also required.

All areas of specialisation will be considered, with preference given to applicants whose interests complement and overlap with the Schools existing specialisms: Globalisation, Work and Organizations, Gender and Ethnicity, Social Theory and Social Change, Knowledge and Education, Environment and Health.

Application forms and further particulars are available on our web site: http://www.aston.ac.uk/jobs, or by telephoning: 0121 359 0870 (24 hour answerphone), or by email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., quoting reference number A07/19/99.

Closing date: 1 March 2007.

Click here for Employer Profile http://www.jobs.ac.uk/ep/links/43/


Lectureship / Senior Lectureship in Sociology

School of Languages and Social Sciences

£26,666 to 46,758 p.a. exceptionally up to £51,095

The School of Languages and Social Sciences is expanding its Social Sciences portfolio and seeking to make a key appointment in Sociology.
We are a multidisciplinary School including Languages, Politics, International Relations, Sociology and European Studies. We have a long-standing reputation for excellence, achieving Grade 5 RAE in 2001.

Applicants should have a strong research background and the ability to contribute to teaching and programme development at undergraduate and postgraduate level. They should have a first degree and a doctorate in a relevant subject.

All areas of specialisation will be considered, with preference given to applicants whose interests complement and overlap with the Schools existing specialisms: Globalisation, Work and Organizations, Gender and Ethnicity, Social Theory and Social Change, Knowledge and Education, Environment and Health.

Application forms and further particulars are available on our web site: http://www.aston.ac.uk/jobs, or by telephoning: 0121 359 0870 (24 hour answerphone), or by email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., quoting reference number A07/18/99.

Closing date: 1 March 2007.

Click here for Employer Profile http://www.jobs.ac.uk/ep/links/43/

• 1 new item posted on 17 November 2006

SASA launches web site

Our new website is online at www.sasaonline.org.za