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Date: 8/20/2025
Subject: TASA members' newsletter: August 21
From: TASA



Dear~~first_name~~,
As we move through August, there are several events and opportunities for TASA members. A reminder that tonight at 5pm we have the TASA Webinar ‘Skate, Create, Educate and Regenerate’. Looking ahead, Social Sciences Week 2025 is just around the corner in mid-September, offering a chance to showcase and engage with the breadth of the Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences. And don’t forget to browse the TASA 2025 Conference program, which is now available for you to browse the schedule of panels and sessions.

New Members
A big TASA welcome to our three new members for the week, Georgia Durmush, Emma-Jaye Gavin and Ivy Vuong. We're so happy to have you on board. 
 
TASA Thursdays
Skate, create, educate and regenerate – TODAY 21 August, 5pm AEST (Online) Please note the 5pm start time

Join roller skaters Anastasija Kukić and Alicia Mardones, skateboarder Aaron Christiansen, and chair Dr Indigo Willing as they explore how skate culture intersects with urban design, sustainability, and placemaking.
 
Discover how DIY and adaptive reuse approaches can transform cities without pouring new concrete. This engaging panel will challenge conventional architectural thinking and celebrate the creativity, agency, and ingenuity of skaters in shaping our shared spaces.
 

Navigating Gender-Based Violence in Superdiverse Societies: An Interdisciplinary Approach
Join Dr Nobuko Nagai and Dr Hyein Ellen Cho (Monash University) for a cross-national exploration of how gendered violence intersects with migration, mobility, and identity in Australia, the UK, Japan, and South Korea. 
 
Event Details
Date: Thursday 4 September 2025
Time: 12:30 PM–1:30 PM (AEST)
Format: Zoom
 

Decentring migration scholars, centring paradoxes: Autoethnography as resistance.
 
Join Dr Sylvia Ang (Monash University) as she explores how paradox-embracing autoethnography—by foregrounding migrant positionality and emotional narrative—challenges colonial binaries and offers a decolonial pathway toward wholeness.
 
Event Details:
Date: Thursday 25 September 2025,
Time: 12:30 PM–1:30 PM (AEDT)
Format: Zoom
Cost: Free
 
TASA 2025 Program
TASA 2025 Conference Program is now live!
 
This year, we’re excited to launch our new interactive online program, making it easier than ever to plan your conference experience.
 
Search by day, track, thematic group, workshop, social function, or keynote, and even download a personalised program containing only the sessions you wish to attend.
 
Start exploring here: TASA 2025 Program.
Postgraduate Event
TASA Postgraduate Reading Group

Join this supportive community of postgraduate scholars as we explore fresh, challenging readings on decolonial sociology and reflexivity. Guided by peer discussion and expert facilitation, it’s a unique opportunity to hone critical thinking, enrich your research perspective, and engage with cutting-edge scholarship.
 
Event Details:
Date: T
hursday 4 September 2025,
Time: 10am (AEST)
Format: online via Zoom.

This month's reading Chapter 1 'The Promise' in C. Wright Mills' essential book 'The Sociological Imagination.
 
Thematic Group Events
Promising Futures Amid Frustrated Presents: Thinking Through the Social, Economic and Biological Dimensions of Young People’s Health and Wellbeing

Hosted by TASA’s Sociology of Youth Thematic Group, this free panel explores how intersecting crises—from mental and physical health to economic, environmental, and technological pressures—shape youth wellbeing. Featuring expert voices across health, disability, economy, climate and youth activism. 

Event Details:
Date: Monday 8 September 2025,
Time: 11:00 AM–12:30 PM (AEST),
Location: The University of Sydney, Room 650, Social Sciences Building (A02)
Cost: Free
 

Contesting Military Identities

Hosted by TASA’s Cultural Sociology Group with UniSA, Flinders, and the Military Organisation and Culture Studies Group, this one-day event explores evolving military cultures—through gender, veterans’ pre-/post-service experiences, reconciliation, trauma, and diverse identities.

Featuring expert panels, a report launch, and a networking reception. Registration is now open – don’t miss this opportunity to engage with cutting-edge sociological insights.
 
Event Details
Date: Monday 22 September 2025,
Time: 8:30 AM–5:30 PM ACST
Location: in-person in Adelaide and online
Cost: Complimentary
 

Non‑religion, Spirituality & Secularism in Public
 
Hosted by TASA’s Sociology of Religion Thematic Group, this one-day symposium explores Australia’s rising 'nones' (38.9% of the population in 2021) through morning paper presentations, an ECR panel, a workshop on research tools and methods, and an afternoon roundtable and future-focused discussion. Registration is now open—join the conversation shaping the public significance of non‑religiosity.
 
Event Details
Date: Friday 3 October 2025
Time: 8:45 AM–5:00 PM
Location: The University of Sydney
Cost: TASA Members $35 | Non Members $35
 


The Urban Sociology Thematic Group invites scholars, practitioners, and students to join us on Wednesday, 9 October at The University of Sydney for an engaging symposium exploring the theme Knowing the City – Movements, Epistemologies, and Visions.

Event Details
Date:
9th October
Time: 9:00am - 5:00pm (AEDT)
Location: University of Sydney
Cost: In-person  $30  | Online $20
 

Researching Migration Studies: A Symposium on Methodologies
This one‑day hybrid symposium will examine methodological innovation and reflexivity in migration research. Tackle complex lived experiences, systemic barriers, ethics, and the digital turn through digital ethnography and platform studies. This mentoring‑focused event invites early‑career researchers and PhD students to submit expressions of interest and attend.
 
Event Details
Date: Friday 21 November 2025
Time: 9:30am - 5:00pm
Location: Monash University City Campus
Cost: TASA Member In-person - $40  | TASA Member PG, Casual, unwaged In-person- $15 | Non Member In-person $40 | Online - Complimentary

Members' Publications

Journal Articles

Oldman E., Banfield M., Lamb H., Stewart E., Oni H.T., Miller B., Giugni M., Morse
A.R., Fitzpatrick, S.J. (2025). Co-design or faux-design? Reflections on co-designing
Safe Spaces for people in emotional distress or suicidal crisis in Australia. Health
Expectations
. (Open Access) https://doi.org/10.1111/hex.70379
 
Fabian Cannizzo, Miranda E. Vidgen, Rebekah McWhirter, Alan Petersen, Margaret
Otlowski, Marco Rizzi, Jasmine Hensley & Ainsley J. Newson (2025) Opportunities
for a national genomic data governance framework in Australia: a systematic review.
BMC Medical Ethics 26, 111. (Open Access) 
 
Shannon, B., Mansfield, M., Hattam, S., Griffiths, Z. (2025) ‘Do I have to go through
all of that again?’ Class and rurality as barriers in the higher education pathways of
queer students. Aust. Educ. Res. (Open Access) https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s13384-025-00879-5
 

Congratulations Phd Completion

TASA would like to acknowledge that Kelly Moes was recently awarded her PhD.
Thesis: "Doing, Being and Knowing Intracranial Hypertension: Exploring Facets of IH through Experiential Expertise"

News and Analysis

 
Social Sciences Week 2025 
8-14 September
Its coming up to September's 'Social Science Week' across Australia. For information about the myriad events see https://socialsciencesweek.org.au/
 
The School of Social Sciences at University of New South Wales has the pleasure of announcing its program for 2025.
 
The School’s theme for this week is Critical Communities. We explore the many ways communities enrich and nourish us, and the power of communities coming together in solidarity at times of discord and threat.
 
Click on the appropriate link to register.

Tuesday 9 September
6-8pm UNSW CBD Campus 
In Conversation: Chris Sidoti and Jan Breckenridge
A critical conversation about sexual violence as a weapon of war between Prof Jan Breckenridge (UNSW Social Sciences) and Chris Sidoti, Commissioner on the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and Israel.
The discussion is followed by a networking event.
Register here: 

Wednesday 10 September
Ritz Cinemas Randwick
Documentary film screening and panel: "Motherhood in the Colony"
“Motherhood in the Colony” unravels stories of colonial trauma and mothering as an act of resistance.
The screening is followed by a panel facilitated by Prof Caroline Lennett (UNSW Social Sciences) and features A/Prof Jumana Bayeh, Lana Tatour (UNSW Social Sciences), Gemma Pol, and Hannah Donnelly.
Register here:

Thursday 11 September
5.30-7.30 UNSW CBD Campus
AI in Government: Risks, Rewards and Future Vision
Panel on AI in government: exploring efficiency, risks, governance, accountability & what leaders need to know for the future. Panellists include Prof. Lyria Bennett Moses (UNSW School of Law, Society & Criminology), Dr Sue Keay (UNSW AI Institute), Ms Lucy Poole (Digital Transformation Agency), Prof. Helen Dickinson (UNSW Canberra School of Business).
The panel is followed by a networking event.
Register here:
 
Calling for Career Stage Group Members
We invite you to join either the Student, Early Career or Senior Career Stage Group
 
You can join a career stage group anytime by logging into your TASA membership profile, navigating to the More Member Options box > clicking/tapping on TASA Groups > Add TASA Groups > scroll to the bottom of the group menu list and click on your choice of Career Stage Group. If you need help, we’ve put together some handy pictorial instructions to guide you through the process that are available here. You can also reach out to Ali Smith, TASA's Membership Director, for assistance (membership@tasa.org.au). 

Thematic Groups
TG funding deadline
The next round of TASA’s Thematic Group (TG) funding is now open, with applications due by September 1st.
 
While it's our amazing TG conveners who submit the applications, members are encouraged to reach out and share ideas for events, collaborations, or activities you’d like to see happen in your TG.
 
Now’s the perfect time to help shape your group’s plans for the first half of 2026!

Thematic Group Name Changes

At a recent Executive meeting, two of TASA’s Thematic Groups were renamed to better reflect their focus and membership interests:
 
Rural Sociology is now Remote, Regional and Rural Sociology
Urban Sociology is now Housing and Urban Sociology

These changes aim to provide greater clarity about the scope of each group and to ensure they remain relevant to emerging research areas and member engagement.
 

Remote, Regional & Rural Sociology Thematic Group – Call for Support

As mentioned above, the Rural Issues Thematic Group has been renamed Remote, Regional & Rural Sociology to better reflect its scope. However, the group is currently at risk of disestablishment due to low engagement.

Our two current Conveners have worked hard to revitalise the group, but with a new convener term beginning in November 2025, we are now seeking new Conveners and fresh ideas to help re-energise this important network.

We encourage members to consider how they might contribute, whether by stepping into a Convener role, sharing ideas for activities, or encouraging colleagues to join. Without renewed participation, we risk losing this space for sociological discussion and collaboration on remote, regional, and rural issues.

If you are interested in helping to lead or reinvigorate the group, please contact Naomi Smith.
 
Job Opportunities

Research Assistant Professor
The University of Hong Kong
You would be involved in the research team of the Jockey Club End-of-Life Community Care Project (www.JCECC.hk) to work on cutting-edge research and evaluation studies in End-of-Life Care (EoLC).
Application deadline: December 2025. Read on...
 
 
Other Events, News & Opportunities

Resources


Sage
Whether you are preparing to teach a course, conducting research, or looking to publish your next research paper, Sociology at Sage provides top-quality, easy-to-access materials to help you make the best use of your time and excel in your field.
Read on ...
 

 
Taylor & Francis are offering free access to 40+ Sociology Journals around the theme of 'Sociology at times of crisis' until 31st January 2026. Read on ...
 
 

Symposiums

Founding Stories, Forging Communities, Feminist Futures: Nurturing Feminist Histories in Precarious Times
A Joint Australian Women’s History Network Symposium and Celebration of the 40th Anniversary of Lilith: A Feminist History Journal
24th-25th November, University of Melbourne
Abstract submission deadline: August 29thRead on...
 

Call for Participants


Whose paradigm counts?

“Whose paradigm counts? The unheard experiences and strategies of CEALD mental healthcare professionals in providing culturally responsive and safe care to CEALD patients in Australia.”
 
The project aims to support and add insights through our voices, experiences and knowledge of how we (health professionals in the mental health space) provide culturally appropriate care strategies that could inform how to care for our culturally, ethnically, linguistically or racially diverse communities in Tasmania.
 
Calling for Tasmanian health professionals working in the mental health space from cultural, ethnically and linguistically diverse backgrounds. If you are interested in having a conversation to discuss the research and/or would like to participate in the individual online interview, please contact Anita via email: anita.ogbeide@utas.edu.au or call: +61 3 6430 5297. You will be compensated with a $30 e-voucher for participation in the research.

For the full details, read on...
 

Supporting academics with inclusive & equitable curricula, teaching and learning
 
Call for Participation. A National Survey on Inclusive and Equitable Teaching in Higher Education

Academic teaching staff at Australian higher education institutions are invited to contribute to a national study exploring how institutions support inclusive and equitable teaching, learning, curriculum, and assessment.
 
The survey is open to academic teaching staff across Australian higher education institutions. It explores:
  • Understandings of equity and inclusion in teaching and learning
  • Inclusive curriculum and assessment practices, and
  • Experiences with professional development related to equity and inclusion
Participation involves completing a short, anonymous 10-15 minute survey, available here.

Seminars

Newcastle Youth Studies Online Seminar Series
The Newcastle Youth Studies Centre is a collaborative group of researchers who work with young people to understand their lives, and the social, cultural, and economic forces they are living in. They have the following online seminars scheduled:
  • The Political Dynamics of the Weird World of Wellness (September 24)
  • The Materialities of Inequality: Mould, Acid and Glitter (October 8)
  • The False Divide between Nature and Culture (November 5)
  • ‘Your mum didn’t take selfies’: Youth and image cultures on social media (November 19)
For the details of each event, and to register, read on...
 
 

Special Issues - call for proposals

Journal of Sociology
The Journal of Sociology invites expressions of interest to guest edit a Special Issue for publication in 2027. Proposals are welcome on any sociological theme likely to appeal to our international readership, particularly those that showcase vibrant research from Australia and the Asia-Pacific. Guest editors will coordinate the call for papers, peer review process, and editorial work to a March 2026 submission deadline.
Proposal submission deadline: 15 September, 2025. Read on...
 

Sociological Research Online
Sociological Research Online welcomes proposals for the next special issue. The proposed special issue should offer an exciting contribution to emerging sociological debates by bringing together conceptually, empirically and/or methodologically innovative interventions within a specific topic area.
Proposal submission deadline: 24 September. Read on...
 

Special Issues - call for submissions

New: Annual Review of the Sociology of Religion
The aim of this volume is to engage scholars in an exercise of sociological imagination. What forms might religion assume by the year 2050? How might society itself be reconfigured? Can we envisage the faces of religion in society that will be quite different from what we know today? And crucially, is sociology able to grasp the key processes currently underway that may shape tomorrow’s religious-social landscape?
Proposal submission deadline: September 30. Read on ... 

 
Revisiting Janet Wolff: Affinities between Art History and Sociology
Cultural Sociology’s special issue, inspired by the career and work of Janet Wolff, seeks to articulate the affinities between sociological and art historical approaches to the study of artworks and art making, such that a disciplinary divide holds.
Abstract submission deadline: 16 September.  Read on...


The Normative Turn in Sociology. Opening the Black Box
Sociology’s special issue hopes to lay the groundwork for a sociology of normativity; that is, a form of sociology (be it “critical” or otherwise) which is expressly normative. Editors are looking for contributions, theoretical and/or empirical, that engage with the question of normativity in sociology. 
Paper submission deadline: 22 January 2026. Read on...


Earning while Learning: Experiences, patterns and the political economy of working students
Work, Employment and Society’s new special issue aims to interrogate and fundamentally reconceptualize the relationship between earning and learning, bringing together different disciplinary approaches to interrogate student work and the global political economy that shapes it.
Paper submission deadline: 27 February 2026. Read on...

 
New: Humanities and Social Sciences Communications
The guest editors of this journal are seeking submissions for the forthcoming edition ‘Reframing artificial intelligence: Critical perspectives from AI social science’
In an era increasingly shaped by artificial intelligence (AI), public and academic discourse is often dominated by polarised narratives—either heralding AI as a solution to complex problems or warning of its dangers … this Collection invites social science perspectives to advance the study of AI’s sociotechnical, cultural and political dimensions.

Submission deadline: 30 April 2026. Read on...
 

Fellowship Opportunities

Early Career Work and Family Fellowships
The goal of the program is to help promising young scholars establish career successes and integrate them within the WFRN research community.
Application deadline: October 1st. Read on...

Conferences

 Anthrozoology as International Practice (AIP2025)
A Student Conference in Human-Animal Studies,
 Friday September 12th 2025. Read on ...

 
75 Years of Sociology
British Sociological Association
8-10 April 2026
University of Edinburgh, UK
Abstract submission deadline: October 3rd. Read on...  

 
2026 Centering Care Across the Life Course
Work and Family Researchers Network Conference
June 17-20, 2026, Concordia University Montreal Canada.

Abstract submission deadline:
October 1st. Read on...

 
Predoctoral Preconference
Work and Family Researchers Network Conference
The Predoctoral Preconference will provide workshops intended to help graduate students form meaningful connections with diverse scholars, learn about publication strategies, as well as how to engage with stakeholders such as organisational leaders or policy advocates.
Application deadline: January 15th. Read on...

 
Refugee Trauma Recovery in Resettlement
Forum of Australian Services for Survivors of Torture and Trauma (FASSTT)
Bringing together leading researchers, clinicians, policymakers, and community advocates from across Australia and New Zealand, the conference will address the complex and critical needs of refugees who have experienced torture and trauma. The event will serve as a vital platform for sharing knowledge, fostering collaboration, and promoting best practices in the field of refugee mental health and psychosocial support.
Submission deadline:
August 31st. Read on...
 


Development in Turbulent Time
20th Annual International & Interdisciplinary Conference of International Partners
University Luigj Gurakuqi Shkoder, ALBANIA
14-15 November 2025

Abstract submission deadline:
14 September. Read on...

 
Centering Care Across the Life Course
SAVE THE DATE
Concordia University in Montreal Canada
June 17-20, 2026
Submissions open in July and close November 1. 
Read on...
Queer Temporalities
Online and in-person at Macquarie University 1-3 October

Exploring the theories and possibilities of queer lives unbeholden to normative narratives of time, memory, success, love, happiness, and family.
 
For the full details, read on...
TASA Tips
Jobs and Scholarships Board 2
The Jobs & Scholarships Board allows you to view opportunities that TASA Admin and fellow members have posted.
 
In 4 easy steps, you can upload job & scholarship opportunities from your member's profile screen. For instructions, visit here.
 
The Jobs & Scholarships Board is a public facing searchable feature of TASAweb. 
 
TASA Exec 2025 2026
TASA’s Executive Committee (EC) governs the Association and manages its daily business as outlined in the Constitution and by established policies.  A call for nominations for the 2027 – 2028 Executive term will be disseminated on July 1, 2026.  
 
The November 2024 - November 2026 Executive Team can be viewed on TASAweb  here.
 
TASA history on TASAweb
TASA was officially established under the name of the Sociological Association of Australia and New Zealand (SAANZ) in 1963, crystallising what was a long, and perhaps delayed process of the discipline’s development in Australia.

For the 50th anniversary celebrations in 2013, pages on TASA's history were added to TASAweb. 



GIFT
The more members TASA has, the stronger our association can be.
 
To help spread the word about TASA, you can quickly and easily gift a TASA membership to someone from within your TASA membership profile.
 
For steps on how to gift a TASA membership, watch this 2-minute video
Documents and Policies
You can access details of TASA's current Executive Committee 2023 - 2024, and their respective portfoliosas well as documents and policies, including the ConstitutionValues StatementStatement on Academic FreedomCode of ConductGrievance Procedures Safe & Inclusive EventsSustainable Events and TASA History
 
ONLINE RESOURCES
TASA members have free access to over 90 peer-reviewed  Sage Sociology full-text collection online journals encompassing over 63,000 articles. The image on the left shows you where to access those journals, as well as the Sage Research Methods Collection & the Taylor and Francis Full Text Collection, when logged in to TASAweb. If needed, here is a short instructive video on how to access the online resources. 

How to join TGs
TASA currently has 27 thematic groups in operation and members can join up to 4 groups. This can be done quickly, and easily via your membership profile. 
 
Watch the very short video (1:30) to learn how to join a thematic group/s.
 
MEMBER SEARCH
TASA's Membership Directory allows you to search for members by country and state. It also has search functions for members of a particular thematic group, and members who are available for supervision and/or mentoring.
 
To learn how to search the Membership Directory, watch this very short video (1 min). 
 
additional membership data 2
Via your membership profile, you can update many options including adding a secondary email address, and indicating if you are available for mentoring, supervising, consulting, and/or talking to the media, for example. If you are in a Tier 2, Tier 3 & Tier 4 membership category, you can also opt in or out of receiving a hard copy of the Journal of Sociology.
 
All of these changes can be done quickly and easily. To learn how, watch this video (1 min).

UPDATING MEMBERSHIP PROFILE
Personal pronoun preferences can be added to your profile. There are 9 combination options to choose from. Please let Sally in TASA Admin know if your preference/s is not on the list and we will have them added.
 
For assistance with updating your Member Profile on TASA web, please watch the video tutorial: Updating your Member Profile.
newsletter submissions
We encourage you to support your colleagues by sharing details of your latest publications with them via this newsletter. No publication is too big or too small.
 
Any mention of sociology is of value to our association, and to the discipline, so please do email through details of your latest publication/s (fully referenced & with a link, where possible), events, job adverts etc. for the next newsletter, to TASA Admin (right click to retrieve the email address). Usually, the newsletter is disseminated every Thursday morning.
BOOK DISCOUNT
As part of the agreement with Taylor & Francis, TASA members are entitled to a 30% books discount. This discount is valid on any full priced CRC Press or Routledge book.
 
To access the book discount, click on the following link and then log in to TASAweb: book discount link.
Digital Publications Editor (Roger): digitalpe@tasa.org.au
Events (Penny): events@tasa.org.au
Membership (Ali): membership@tasa.org.au
Indigenous (John): indigenousmembership@tasa.org.au
Thematic Groups (Naomi): thematicgroups@tasa.org.au
Postgraduates (Molly): postgraduates@tasa.org.au