International Sociological Association

Table of Contents

History of the International Sociological Association

The Social Science Department of UNESCO founded the International Sociological Association (ISA), a non-profit organization, in 1949 for sociological research objectives.

On October 14, 1948, a group of sociologists gathered in Paris at the invitation of SSD to investigate the viability of a subject-based organization. At the UNESCO General Conference in Beirut, the Preparatory Committee proposed the proposal of a new organization, and then the resolution got approved.

At the Constituent Congress, which took place in Oslo, Norway, from September 5–11, 1949, the Association received legal formation status, and the Statutes were first enacted.

Subsequently, the Statutes were modified in 1970 at the ISA Council meeting in Varna and later had several modifications during world congress sessions.

For official purposes, the ISA recognizes three languages: English, French, and Spanish. The Association uses English as its administrative language.

Predecessor of ISA

The International Institute of Sociology was established in Paris in 1893, and the International Sociological Association is its successor. The main distinction between IIS and ISA is that IIS was made up of members, while ISA is made up of associations at the national level.

Mission of ISA

ISA’s goal is to represent sociologists worldwide, independent of their philosophical or scientific orientations.
The ISA works with similar organizations of social scientists to enhance sociological knowledge in all parts of the globe, support sociologists’ goals, and encourage sociology’s autonomous existence.

Activities of ISA

ISA fosters professional and social connections between sociologists and other social sciences worldwide.
The ISA promotes research studies transmission and trade of sociological information globally.
International training and research are facilitated and promoted by ISA.
ISA holds regular meetings and planned international congresses, and ISA also supports publications in various social science disciplines.

Research Committees of International Sociological Association

Research Committees (RCs) encourage global collaboration and advancement in conceptual and empirical sociological research in various sociological subfields.

RC01 Armed Forces and Conflict Resolution
RC02 Economy and Society
RC03 Community Research
RC04 Sociology of Education
RC05 Racism, Nationalism, Indigeneity, and Ethnicity
RC06 Family Research
RC07 Futures Research
RC08 History of Sociology
RC09 Social Transformations and Sociology of Development
RC10 Participation, Organizational Democracy, and Self-Management
RC11 Sociology of Aging
RC12 Sociology of Law
RC13 Sociology of Leisure
RC14 Sociology of Communication, Knowledge, and Culture
RC15 Sociology of Health
RC16 Sociological Theory
RC17 Sociology of Organizations
RC18 Political Sociology
RC19 Poverty, Social Welfare and Social Policy
RC20 Comparative Sociology
RC21 Urban and Regional Development
RC22 Sociology of Religion
RC23 Sociology of Science and Technology
RC24 Environment and Society
RC25 Language and Society
RC26 Sociotechnics – Sociological Practice
RC27 Sociology of Sport
RC28 Social Stratification
RC29 Deviance and Social Control
RC30 Sociology of Work
RC31 Sociology of Migration
RC32 Women, Gender, and Society
RC33 Logic and Methodology
RC34 Sociology of Youth
RC35 Conceptual and Terminological Analysis
RC36 Alienation Theory and Research
RC37 Sociology of Arts
RC38 Biography and Society
RC39 Sociology of Disasters
RC40 Sociology of Agriculture and Food
RC41 Sociology of Population
RC42 Social Psychology
RC43 Housing and Built Environment
RC44 Labour Movements
RC45 Rational Choice
RC46 Clinical Sociology
RC47 Social Classes and Social Movements
RC48 Social Movements, Collective Action, and Social Change
RC49 Sociology of Mental Health and Illness
RC50 International Tourism
RC51 Sociocybernetics
RC52 Sociology of Professional Groups
RC53 Sociology of Childhood
RC54 The Body in the Social Sciences
RC55 Social Indicators
RC56 Historical Sociology
RC57 Visual Sociology

ISA Membership

The following are the ISA membership types.

Regular collective membership

Regular participants in the collective include national sociological organizations.

Affiliated collective membership

Universities, research institutes, groups cantered in sociology, and associated institutions are eligible to apply.

Temporary regular collective membership

A collection of nations not covered by Article 3.2 is granted provisional regular collective member status.
Following a resolution of the Executive Committee (EC), new admittance to the regular collective, provisional collective, and affiliated collective membership is granted, subject to approval by the Board of National Associations.

Regular individual membership

Scholars or professionals involved in sociological teaching, research, or activity can join this membership category. All individuals who frequently participate in ISA activities must have an individual membership.

Affiliated individual membership

Applicants other than those listed in Article 3.4 of the ISA statute, which a decision of the Executive Committee may accept, are referred to as individual affiliated members.

ISA Research Council

The Research Council is the ISA’s official representative of the Research Committees, Working Groups, and Thematic Groups. The Research Council (RC) organizes the activities of Research Committees, Working Groups, and Thematic Groups and provides recommendations for the ISA’s general policy.

ISA Working Groups

WGs serve as the foundation of scientific investigation, intellectual discourse, and professional interchange by bringing together academics who desire to conduct a comparative study on a global scale.

WG01 Sociology on Local-Global Relations
WG05 Famine and Society
WG06 Institutional Ethnography
WG08 Society and Emotions

ISA Thematic Groups

By forming theme-based groups, the ISA decentralizes its ongoing research operations.

TG03 Human Rights and Global Justice
TG04 Sociology of Risk and Uncertainty
TG07 Senses and Society
TG09 Sociological Teaching
TG10 Digital Sociology
TG11 Violence and Society

ISA Assembly of Councils

The President and Vice Presidents are chosen by the Assembly of Councils, along with decisions about the Association’s overall policy and membership dues.

ISA Executive Committee

The Executive Committee’s duties include submitting policy proposals to the Assembly of Councils and implementing the policies set by the Assembly. Periodically, EC updates the Council of National Associations, the Research Council, and the Assembly of Councils on its operations.

International Collaborations of ISA

The International Social Science Association is an NGO member of the International Social Science Council.
ISA has strong connections with UNESCO.
ISA has special consultative status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council.
ISA regularly interacts with the European Sociological Association and other connected international collective partners in social research activities and discipline growth.

ISA Code of Ethics

The ISA Code of Ethics consists of a Preamble and four sets of Ethical Standards to which members must comply. The fundamental purpose of the Code of Ethics is to safeguard the welfare of the organizations and persons with whom sociologists work, as well as those who engage in sociologists’ research endeavors. A second purpose of the Code of Ethics is to direct the conduct of ISA members, both inside the organization and toward the larger community.

International Sociological Association Awards/Competitions

ISA Award for Excellence in Research and Practice

Since March 2013, the ISA has presented this prize to a sociologist who develops and advances sociological knowledge and understanding via exceptional contributions to the field, the profession, and the ISA. The prize is granted at the ISA World Congress awards event once in four years.

Foundation Mattei Dogan Prize

Foundation Mattei Dogan Prize in Sociology is given to a sociologist in acknowledgment of their life’s work. The prize granted every four years during the ISA World Congress of Sociology has three winners so far. Since the 2010 conference, the award has been discontinued.

ISA Worldwide Competition for Junior Sociologists

In this competition, junior sociologists working in social research are awarded a prize.

International Sociological Association Journals

International Sociology

International Sociology is a peer-reviewed magazine debuted in 1986 by the ISA to reflect the theoretical and empirical range of that discipline. Empirical studies using both qualitative and quantitative sociological methods are accepted in this publication.

The emphasis is on papers examining current social issues and changes influencing global society and advancing international sociological theory and insights.

Submissions may be presented in any language for which qualified reviewers may be found, including English, French, and Spanish. The journals’ articles, however, are exclusively published in English.

International Sociology Reviews

The biannual publication of International Sociology Reviews, or ISR, aims to broaden the sociological imagination, mainly through advancing sociology’s status as a multicultural, international field.

ISR examines sociological works written in languages other than English to comprehend viewpoints on sociology as a discipline and examine worldviews regarding social structures formed in various parts of the globe.

Current Sociology

Current Sociology, an authorized publication of the International Sociological Association, is one of the oldest and most-cited sociology publications. Submissions may be provided in any vernacular for which qualified reviewers may be identified. However, only English articles will be published in the journal.

ISA Digital Publications

Global Mapping of Sociologists

To help sociologists who face many political and economic constraints that create obstacles in global exchanges, GMS has created a worldwide database of sociologists to determine, integrate, and facilitate international collaborations in sociology.

ISAGRAM newsletter

It is the ISA’s monthly newsletter; in it, current events such as job openings, conferences, seminars, and project partnerships and announcements are detailed.

Global Dialogue

This ISA open access, the multilingual digital journal, gives insights regarding sociological foundations that provide transnational data.

ISA Online publications portal

The ISA online publishing portal unites three crucial websites, e-Symposium, Social Justice & Democratization, and Sociopedia-ISA, into a single digital gateway.

Global sociology and the coronavirus

This section contains critical evaluations and viewpoints on pandemic studies from many angles across continents.

Universities in Crisis

This ISA blog intends to report on universities in a dilemma and to make sure that their concerns involving the academic aspects are brought to the world’s attention.

ISA Videos

The ISA videos area includes videos from global courses, journeys through sociology videos, and ISA conferences.

International Sociological Association Forums

ISA forum is a gathering with two different types of programs. One is a generic program designed as a conversation between Research Committees comprising the presentations submitted at the Research Council symposium by the RCs’ representatives. The second program is the counterpart programs of RCs that they bring together.

1st: First ISA Forum of Sociology

The theme of the Forum: Sociological Research and Public Debate
Location of Forum: Barcelona, Spain
Year of Forum: 2008

2nd Second ISA Forum of Sociology

The theme of the Forum: Social Justice and Democratization
Location of Forum: Buenos Aires, Argentina
Year of Forum: 2012

3rd Third ISA Forum of Sociology

The theme of the Forum: The Futures We Want: Global Sociology and the Struggles for a Better World
Location of Forum: Vienna, Austria
Year of Forum: 2016

4th Fourth ISA Forum of Sociology

The theme of the Forum: Challenges of the 21st Century: Democracy, Environment, Inequalities, Intersectionality
Location of Forum: Porto Alegre, Brazil
Year of Forum: 2021

Council of National Associations of International Sociological Association

The ISA’s general policy is proposed by the Council of National Organisations, representing other collective members and national associations.

Conferences of the Council of National Associations

First ISA Conference of the Council of National Associations

The theme of the CNA Conference: Local, Regional, and Global Sociologies: Contexts, Perspectives, and Practices
Location of CNA Conference: Miami, USA
Year of CNA Conference: August 9-11, 2005

Second ISA Conference of the Council of National Associations

The theme of the CNA Conference: Challenges for Sociology in an Unequal World
Location of CNA Conference: Taipei, Taiwan
Year of CNA Conference: March 23-25, 2009

Third ISA Conference of the Council of National Associations

The theme of the CNA Conference: Sociology in Times of Turmoil: Comparative Approaches
Location of CNA Conference: Ankara, Turkey,
Year of CNA Conference: May 13-16, 2013

Fourth ISA Conference of the Council of National Associations

The theme of the CNA Conference: Sociologies in Dialogue
Location of CNA Conference: Taipei, Taiwan,
Year of CNA Conference: May 8-11, 2017

Fifth ISA Conference of the Council of National Associations

The theme of the CNA Conference: Social Transformations and Sociology: Dispossessions and Empowerment
Location of CNA Conference: Nova Gorica, Slovenia
Year of CNA Conference: November 21-24, 2022

List of National Associations

International Sociological Association World Congress of Sociology

Each World Congress venue is determined six years before the event by accepting proposals from all national organization members.

According to the By-Laws, a Programme Committee created by the Executive Committee and a Regional Organizing Committee formed by the regional organizers must work together to arrange the World Congress.

Constituent Congress of ISA

ISA Constituent Congress
Location of Congress: Oslo, Norway
Date of Congress: September 5-10, 1949

1st – First ISA World Congress of Sociology

Theme 1 of Congress: Sociological Research in its Bearing on International Relations
Theme 2 of Congress: The Role of the Citizen in a Planned Society
Theme 3 of Congress: The Role of Minorities in International Affairs
Location of Congress: Zurich, Switzerland
Year of Congress: 1950

2nd – Second ISA World Congress of Sociology

Theme 1 of Congress: Social Stratification and Social Mobility Intergroup
Theme 2 of Congress: Conflicts and their Mediation
Theme 3 of Congress: Recent Developments in Sociological Research
Theme 4 of Congress: The Training, Professional Activities, and Responsibilities of Sociologists
Location of Congress: Liege, Belgium
Year of Congress: 1953

3rd – Third ISA World Congress of Sociology

The theme of Congress: Problems of Social Science in the 20th Century
Location of Congress: Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Year of Congress: 1956

4th – Fourth ISA World Congress of Sociology

The theme of Congress: Society and Sociological Knowledge
Location of Congress: Milan and Stresa, Italy
Year of Congress: 1959

5th – Fifth ISA World Congress of Sociology

The theme of Congress: The Sociology of Development
Location of Congress: Washington DC, USA
Year of Congress: 1962

6th – Sixth ISA World Congress of Sociology

The theme of Congress: Unity and Diversity in Sociology: Sociology of International Relations
Location of Congress: Evian, France
Year of Congress: 1966

7th – Seventh ISA World Congress of Sociology

The theme of Congress: Contemporary and Future Societies: Prediction and Social Planning
Location of Congress: Varna, Bulgaria
Year of Congress: 1970

8th – Eighth ISA World Congress of Sociology

The theme of Congress: Science and Revolution in Contemporary Societies
Location of Congress: Toronto, Canada
Year of Congress: 1974

9th – Ninth ISA World Congress of Sociology

The theme of Congress: Paths of Social Development
Location of Congress: Uppsala, Sweden
Year of Congress: 1978

10th – Tenth ISA World Congress of Sociology

The theme of Congress: Sociological Theory and Social Practice
Location of Congress: Mexico City, Mexico
Year of Congress: 1982

11th – Eleventh ISA World Congress of Sociology

The theme of Congress: Social Change: Problems and Perspectives
Location of Congress: New Delhi, India
Year of Congress: 1986

12th – Twelfth ISA World Congress of Sociology

The theme of Congress: Sociology for One World: Unity and Diversity
Location of Congress: Madrid, Spain
Year of Congress: 1990

13th – Thirteenth ISA World Congress of Sociology

The theme of Congress: Contested Boundaries and Shifting Solidarities
Location of Congress: Bielefeld, Germany
Year of Congress: 1994

14th – Fourteenth ISA World Congress of Sociology

The theme of Congress: Social Knowledge: Heritage, Challenges, Perspectives
Location of Congress: Montréal, Canada
Year of Congress: 1998

15th – Fifteenth ISA World Congress of Sociology

The theme of Congress: The Social World in the Twenty-First Century: Ambivalent Legacies and Rising Challenges
Location of Congress: Brisbane, Australia
Year of Congress: 2002

16th – Sixteenth ISA World Congress of Sociology

The theme of Congress: The Quality of Social Existence in a Globalising World
Location of Congress: Durban, South Africa
Year of Congress: 2006

17th – Seventeenth ISA World Congress of Sociology

The theme of Congress: Sociology on the Move
Location of Congress: Gothenburg, Sweden
Year of Congress: 2010

18th – Eighteenth ISA World Congress of Sociology

The theme of Congress: Facing an Unequal World: Challenges for Global Sociology
Location of Congress: Yokohama, Japan
Year of Congress: 2014

19th – Nineteenth ISA World Congress of Sociology

The theme of Congress: Power, Violence, and Justice: Reflections, Responses, and Responsibilities
Location of Congress: Toronto, Canada
Date of Congress: July 15-21, 2018

20th – Twentieth ISA World Congress of Sociology

The theme of Congress: Resurgent Authoritarianism: Sociology of New Entanglements of Religions, Politics, and Economies
Location of Congress: Melbourne, Australia
Date of Congress: June 25-July 1, 2023

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