Call for Papers

Abstracts are invited from Masters and PhD students working across the social sciences for a one day event, hosted by the Sociology department at the University of York. The theme of the conference is perceptions of social science disciplines in the light of current social and political upheaval and uncertainty. The event will provide an informal and collaborative arena in which to debate and discuss the future of social sciences in relation to your own research interests. There will be an emphasis upon encouraging reflexivity in research and reflection upon what your research contributes to conceptions of public/professional social science in the modern era.

Postgraduate papers must be no more than 10-15 minutes long, and will be organised into the streams listed below. The first and second stream aim to contextualise contemporary debates about unrest, and the third to offer potential solutions from within the social sciences:

- Political & Social Unrest - Action/Activism/Counter Culture/Riots/Budget Cuts or related topics.

- Uncertainty - Prospects & risk in the era of unrest.

- Academia & Beyond - Opening a dialogue which extends beyond academia to notions of a 'public' and open social science discipline.

Abstracts should be between 250-300 words and include the speaker's name, institution, department and preferred postgraduate stream. Abstracts should be sent to Matt Spokes electronically at the address below and be received by Friday 24h February 2012. Submissions after this deadline may not be considered for inclusion.

 Keynote Speakers

Professor John Holmwood, University of Nottingham & President of the British Sociological Association

Professor Les Back, Goldsmiths College Welcome address:

Professor Mike Savage, University of York

Closing address: Professor Roger Burrows, Goldsmiths College

 For abstract submission contact Matt Spokes:

matt.spokes@york.ac.uk 

For general conference information contact Triona Fitton:

Full Details

Public Perceptions of the Social Sciences in a Contemporary Era of Unrest