South African Sociological Association

Table of Contents

History of South African Sociological Association

In 1993, members of South Africa’s sociological community from various ethnic groups got together to create a new joint organization. The Suid-Afrikaanse Sosiologie Vereniging and the previous Association for Sociologists in Southern Africa were combined to become the newly formed South African Sociological Association. The ASSA-SASOV merger is what this union is regarded as. The newly formed association is also referred to by the acronym SASA.

The mission of the South African Sociological Association

Promoting sociology as a field and a profession is SASA’s primary goal.
SASA seeks to advance social science inquiry, instruction, and discussion of social problems affecting African society.
SASA encourages interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary collaboration among those engaged in the sociological study of society at the local, regional, national, and worldwide levels.

Activities of SASA

SASA regularly organizes presentations, symposiums, and African learning initiatives to advance the African community. The activities place particular emphasis on South African society.

SASA Membership

Anyone with a master’s degree interested in the association’s goals is eligible to apply for membership. Reduced yearly conference expenses, a subscription to the SASA Journal, and the South African Review of Sociology are all perks of SASA membership.

International collaborations of the South African Sociological Association

SASA is a national association member of ISA.

SASA Journal/Publication

South African Review of Sociology

The South African Review of Sociology, commonly regarded as SARS, is the Journal that Routledge/Taylor & Francis publishes on behalf of the South African Sociological Association. Through publishing academic papers, the Journal seeks to further sociological interests. The Journal is published in English and sponsored by subscription fees and contributions from the association. It has been releasing four issues a year since 2016.

Annual Conference of SASA

SASA Foundation Assembly of 1993

Merger of ASSA and SASOV
Venue: University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
Year: 1993

1993 Annual Congress of SASA

First fully-fledged SASA conference
Venue: University of Pretoria, Pretoria

1994 Annual Congress of SASA

Theme: The election and social transformation
Venue: University of Natal, Pietermaritzburg

1995 Annual Congress of SASA

Theme: Towards social reconstruction in a fragmented society
Venue: Rhodes University, Grahamstown

1996 Fourth Annual Congress of SASA

Theme: Southern Africa in the global context
Venue: University of Natal, Durban

1997 Annual Congress of SASA

Theme: Beyond Afro-pessimism: Identity and development in an era of globalization
Venue: University of Transkei, Umtata

1998 Annual Congress of SASA

Theme: Inequality and diversity: Learning to change and the social sciences
Venue: Rand Afrikaans University, Johannesburg

1999 Annual Congress of SASA

Theme: Securing South Africa’s future
Venue: Military college, Saldanha

2000 Annual Congress of SASA

Theme: Restructuring the institutions of South Africa for the new millennium
Venue: University of the Western Cape, Belville

2001 Annual Congress of SASA

Theme: Globalization, inequality, and identity
Venue: UNISA, Pretoria

2002 Annual Congress of SASA

Theme: Citizenship, living rights, and the public intellectual
Venue: Regent Hotel, East London

2003 Annual Congress of SASA

Theme: Resistance and Reconstruction
Venue: University of Natal, Durban

2004 Annual Congress of SASA

Theme: Ten years into democracy: Challenges facing South Africa
Venue: University of Free State, Bloemfontein

2005 Annual Congress of SASA

Theme: The renewal of sociology in South Africa
Venue: University of Limpopo, Polokwane

2006 Annual Congress of SASA

Theme: The quality of social existence in a globalizing world
SASA hosted the International Sociological Association in Durban

2007 Annual Congress of SASA

Theme: Sociology and social reconstruction in South Africa
Venue: North-West University, Potchefstroom

2008 Annual Congress of SASA

Theme: Society, power, and the environment: Challenges for the twenty-first century
Venue: Stellenbosch University, Stellenbosch

2009 Annual Congress of SASA

Theme: Making sense of borders: Identity, Citizenship, and Power in Comparative Perspective
Venue: University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg

2010 Annual Congress of SASA

Theme: Sport, Leisure, and Development in the 21st Century: Opportunities and Challenges.
Venue: Fort Hare University, East London
Year: 2010

2011 Annual Congress of SASA

Theme: Gender in Question: Rights, representation, and substantive freedom
Venue: University of Pretoria

2012 Annual Congress of SASA

Theme: Knowledge, Technologies and Social Change
Venue: University of Cape Town

2013 Annual Congress of SASA

Theme: Doing Sociology from the Periphery: Place, Power, and Knowledge
Venue: University of South Africa

2014 Annual Congress of SASA

Theme: The Point of Critique: Knowledge, Society, and the State in South Africa After 20 Years of Democracy
Venue: Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University

2015 Annual Congress of SASA

Theme: Contours of Violence: Manifestations, Interventions, and Social Justice
Venue: University of Johannesburg

2016 Annual Congress of SASA

Theme: Higher Education: Power, Practices, and Discourses
Venue: Rhodes University
Year: 2016

2017 Annual Congress of SASA

Theme: #WhatMustRise: Critical Sociological Reflections on Contemporary Protest Movements
Venue – Northwest University, Mafikeng Campus

2018 Annual Congress of SASA

Theme: Navigating Uncertainty: Resituating and reimagining sociological knowledge within the context of contemporary South Africa, Africa, and the Global South
Venue: University of the Western Cape

2019 Annual Congress of SASA

Theme: Work, Life & Society: Meanings, Manifestations, and Trajectories of the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Africa
Venue: University of South Africa;

2020 Annual Congress of SASA