The ESA Conference in Warsaw is approaching, and so are the elections of the new RN37 Board! Electoral process will take place during the RN37 Business Meeting at the Warsaw conference (August 27, 2026 1pm-2pm, venue to be confirmed).

Election Procedures (approved by the RN37 Board on June 11, 2026):

1. The Coordinator, PhD Representative, and five Board Members will be elected by secret ballot during the Business Meeting in Warsaw.
2. Only RN37 members in good standing and present in person at the Business Meeting can vote.
3. Voting allocation:

• One vote each for Coordinator and PhD Representative.
• Up to five votes for Board Members.

1. Immediately after the Board election, Candidates for Vice-Coordinator will be sought from among elected Board Members. RN37 members will then elect the Vice-Coordinator by secret ballot (one vote per member).

Board Composition
The Board will consist of seven people: the Coordinator, Vice-Coordinator, PhD Representative, and elected Board Members.

Diversity Consideration
Members are strongly encouraged to consider diversity of backgrounds when voting, as per RN Guidelines (Art. 1, Paragraph i).

Meeting Format: The Business Meeting will be in a hybrid format if possible, but this is subject to room assignment constraints. However, as we said before, only RN37 members present in-person will be able to participate in the elections. Other ones can join the meeting and have the right to speak, but they cannot vote.

Candidate Information
Candidates to the 2026-2028 RN37 Board should submit a 100-150 words introduction and statement of priorities, along with a photo, to rn37.esa@gmail.com by June 30. The Board will distribute these to RN37 members in good standing around at least one month before the Business Meeting. No presentations of Candidates will be made during the assembly due to time constraints.

Candidates are for or ESA RN37 2026-2028 Term are: 

Coordinator candidate: Nomination Coordinator TALJA BLOKLAND 2026-2028

PhD Representative candidates:
Nomination PhD Student Representative 2026-2028 JULIA GREVE
Nomination PhD student representative 2026-2028 BEATRIZ LACERDA

Board Member candidates: 
Nomination Board Member 2026-2028 MARTON BAGYURA
Nomination Board Member 2026-2028 MARIANNA D’OVIDIO
Nomination Board Member 2026-2028 MAXIME FELDER
Nomination Board Member 2026-2028 Meriç Kırmızı
Nomination Board Member 2026-2028 CAROLINA MUDAN MARELLI 
Nomination Board Member 2026-2028 ELISABETTA MOCCA
Nomination Board Member 2026-2028 OLEKSANDRA NENKO

Dear colleagues,

The European Sociological Association (ESA) invites applications for the ESA PhD Summer School 2026, to be held on site in Warsaw from 22 to 24 August 2026.

The Summer School is aimed at PhD candidates in Sociology and allied disciplines.

Key points:

• Eligibility: PhD students enrolled at a European university (ESA membership required)
• Places: 25 participants (+ 5 waiting list)
• Funding: Accommodation and meals provided; travel reimbursement up to €350
• Deadline: 30 January 2026

Applications (abstract + short CV) must be submitted via ESA ConfTool 2026.

👉 Full Call and application details:
https://bit.ly/4p1FWvM

We kindly ask you to circulate this call among eligible doctoral candidates.

European Sociological Association

We are pleased to inform you that the Call for Papers for the 17th ESA Conference is now open. The conference will take place in Warsaw, Poland, from 25 to 28 August 2026, under the theme:

“Strengthening Democracies: Social Action, Solidarity, and Sustainable Futures.”

The ESA 2026 Conference will offer a shared space for learning, exchanging ideas and research, and strengthening professional and academic networks across the ESA community.

Full Call for Papers: https://bit.ly/48E3ylb
Abstract submission deadline: 30 January 2026
Submission platform: www.conftool.com/esa2026

We warmly encourage you to submit your work and to share this Call for Papers with colleagues and research partners within your networks. We look forward to welcoming you to Warsaw in August 2026 for what promises to be a vibrant and intellectually stimulating conference.

With kind regards,
European Sociological Association (ESA)

Imagined Territories: Visual Methods and Spatial Storytelling – 4th to 6th February 2026

Faculty of Arts and Humanities, University of Porto, Portugal
Images accompany us constantly, shaping how we remember the past and imagine the future. They are always cultural and social productions, capable of generating meaning through both the visible and the invisible. In a context of visual hyperstimulation — from surveillance screens to social networks, from maps to collective memories — the question is not only whether we see, but how we see, and what impressions, memories, and interpretations we bring to our understanding of the world: its inequalities, its senses of belonging, the ways in which power is (re)produced, and how meanings crystallize in the spaces we inhabit.
In a time marked by uncertainty, displacement, and fragmentation, visual methods offer us not only tools of observation but also of (re)connection — ways of understanding relationships, networks, and invisible flows that structure territories and modes of life often overlooked by traditional social science methods.
The Winter School “Imagined Territories: Visual Methods and Spatial Narratives” invites us to reflect on the image as both method and narrative — as a means of exploring how people imagine, inhabit, and transform space. Images fix time and make the absent present: they are windows into lived experiences, social tensions, and shared hopes. Over the course of two days, key theoretical and ethical aspects of visual methods will be discussed, alongside practical workshops in which participants will learn and deepen techniques for data collection and analysis.
This program brings together guests from diverse fields to think about and experiment with how territories can be observed, represented, and reinvented through visual methodologies and creative research practices. If, as Picasso said, “every image is a lie that tells the truth,” then our task is to learn to read those truths — to uncover what they reveal about our territories, our memories, and our ways of being together. To look, once again, not only to record the world but also to imagine new possible worlds.

Target audience:

Anyone (national or international) with an interest in the topics covered.

Fees:

General Admission (students included) – 55 euros
Reduced Social Fee* – 35 euros

*This fee is available for those who may find the General Admission Fee a barrier to participation

Registration until December 31, using the form https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfEPWedrjCUJ_K6GiH5ZDvh4xtAhT98n_iRbuKdcBOhrEwrCQ/viewform?pli=1

For more information:isupphdclub@gmail.com

Hope to see you in Porto!

PhD Winter School Organizing Committee,
Ana Broda Santos
Ana Cíntia Sales
Beatriz Lacerda
Catarina Figueiredo
Francisca Teixeira
Rúben Elias
Tiago Pinto

IS-UP_PhD Winter School Call FULL INFO SHEET

RN37 – Midterm Conference Coimbra Programme V2

RN37 – Programme Summer School Figueira da Foz update 25.08.25

At the following link (https://forms.gle/qz361qLazHcHKPzb9) you can find the registration form with some logistical info and the instructions for the fee payment (July 4 is the early bird deadline, and July 20 is the late registration deadline). 

Once you have submitted your registration, please check your mailbox to see if you have received an automathic reply, otherwise contact us (for this issue or any other question) at rn37.esa@gmail.com 

Again, thank you all and look forward to seeing you in Coimbra!

NEW Deadline is scheduled on April 11th, 2025

This initiative is designed for PhD students and young non-tenured researchers in urban studies. Building on the success of the first edition held in Genoa in 2023, this second edition continues our commitment to providing an enriching space for developing research skills, fostering interdisciplinarity, and engaging with renowned scholars in urban sociology.

Activities of the Summer School will include:

1. Keynote Lectures;

2. Methodological Workshops : a) Mixed methods, combining qualitative and quantitative methods, fieldwork and digital data in urban studies research; b) Visual methods focusing on affective cartography;

3. Roundtables: a) Academic integrity and ethical issues in research; b) Places of speech and diversity of narratives; c) Participatory approaches;

4. Sharing Research: Young scholars share and debate their papers withpeers and senior scholars;

5. Publish do not perish: Researchers and librarians share information andpractical knowledge of useful techniques, practices of writing, and interactingwith academic publishers.

Applicants must submit to rn37.esa@gmail.com the following documents:

1. A motivation letter (max 2 pages) outlining their interest in the Summer School and how it aligns with their research goals.

2. A CV (max 5 pages) highlighting academic and researchachievements.

More details about contents, deadlines and fees on the attached file:

Call Summer School RN37_New Deadline

We are looking forward to seeing you all in Portugal!

We are pleased to announce that the call for abstracts is now open for our upcoming midterm conference. We invite you all to submit your work for consideration.

Full info: Call for Abstracts

Abstract proposals should be submitted by NEW DATE May 24th 2025 through the following link
Abstracts sent by e-mail will not be accepted.

Abstracts should not exceed 250 words and must be submitted in English.
Abstracts must clearly articulate the core thesis and conceptual framework when presenting theoretical contributions. Additionally, for empirical presentations, the abstract should outline methodological assumptions and preliminary results to provide a comprehensive overview of the research approach and findings.

Authors will be asked to select just one session to submit their abstract.

Each applicant may submit only one abstract as first author, regardless of the session. In case of multiple submissions, the abstract submitted first will be considered for review.

Accepted authors/co-authors have to register as participants if they want to present their paper at the conference and appear in the Book of Abstracts.

A full copy of the paper is not requested (neither before nor after the conference, however specific communication may be shared by Session Organizers).

Abstracts will be peer-reviewed and selected for presentation by the panel chairs.

Most panels will follow a traditional format based on an open call for abstracts (expectedly 15-20 minutes for each presentation with time slots of 90 minutes). Nonetheless, some sessions will have other formats (see the description of each panel).

ESA membership is not mandatory, but members benefit from reduced conference fees!

You can contact the sessions chair(s) about the session topics and contents (see their e-mail addresses in each session description) or the conference organising committee (rn37.esa@gmail.com) for logistical info.

The Research Network 37 – Urban Sociology (RN37) of the European Sociological Association (ESA) is delighted to announce two major upcoming events:

• VI Midterm Conference: “Decentered Cities: Overlooked Urban Narratives and Shifting Centralities” (September 3-5, 2025, Coimbra)
• II Summer School for Young Urban Scholars (September 1-2, 2025, Figueira da Foz)

• NEW deadline for session proposals: March 14, 2025
• NEW date for communication of the evaluation of proposals: March 17, 2025
• NEW date for the launch of the call for abstracts: March 21, 2025

These events will bring together researchers, PhD students, and scholars interested in urban sociology to explore contemporary challenges and transformations in urban spaces, with a special focus on overlooked narratives and shifting centralities.

The detailed calls for both the conference abstracts and summer school applications are now open. Please find all information about themes, deadlines, submission guidelines, and registration fees in the attached flyer.

For queries and submissions: rn37.esa@gmail.com
We look forward to welcoming you in Portugal!

We are delighted to present the Newsletter (3)2024, focusing on the intricate relationship between arts and urban life. This thematic edition represents a significant milestone in our ongoing exploration of urban cultural sociology, bringing together diverse perspectives that illuminate the complex interplay between artistic expression and city spaces.

Under the thoughtful direction of Dr. Oleksandra Nenko, this issue weaves together multiple academic threads to create a rich tapestry of urban cultural analysis. The newsletter bridges urban sociology, sociology of the arts, cultural studies, scholarship on place and space, and artistic research, reflecting the multifaceted nature of contemporary urban life.

This interdisciplinary approach is particularly timely as we seek to understand our cities not just as physical spaces, but as living, breathing entities shaped by cultural practices and artistic interventions. The convergence of these various fields of study offers unique insights into how arts and culture serve as both lens and catalyst in urban environments, helping us comprehend and reshape our understanding of city life.

The visual elements, carefully crafted by Beatriz Lacerda, complement the scholarly content and enhance the newsletter’s ability to communicate complex ideas about urban cultural dynamics. This marriage of form and content exemplifies our commitment to exploring urban sociology through multiple modes of expression.

Our third shows ESA RN37 Board Members’ dedication to fostering dialogue across disciplinary boundaries, demonstrating how the arts can illuminate our understanding of urban spaces and communities. We invite readers to engage with these perspectives and contribute to the ongoing conversation about the role of arts and culture in shaping our urban future.

Join us in exploring this thoughtfully curated collection of insights at the intersection of arts and urban life, as we continue to build bridges between different approaches to understanding our cities.

We warmly welcome proposals for future thematic issues from potential guest editors who wish to contribute their unique perspectives and expertise to our growing community – please reach out to us with your ideas for upcoming editions of the RN37 Newsletter.

Dear All,

Thank you for the big expression of interest in the RN37 sessions hosted at the next ESA conference: we have received more than 150 submissions. We think this is confirmation of the solidity of our network, since this represents an important increase when compared to the ESA conference in Barcelona. The evaluation of abstracts is close to an end and the results will be communicated soon.

We are now launching a call for hosts for the next RN37 mid-term conference, to be held in 2025.

As you probably remember, our last Midterm conference was held in Berlin on October 2022. It was a very vibrant moment, with almost 250 proposals and over 150 participants. We would like to thank once again the Humboldt colleagues who made it possible, as well as all the speakers who made it so fruitful. During the RN37 Business Meeting in Berlin, the possibility of organizing a 1^st ESA RN37 Summer School for Young Urban Scholars was discussed, and the School was held in Genoa in September 2023, with over 100 applicants and 50 participants. The School was very positively evaluated by both participants and speakers, and we really thank them too.

Our intention/proposal now is to organize the 6^th mid-term conference in 2025 together with the 2^nd summer school. The joint organization of these events could be a great opportunity for everyone and the best way to optimize organizational and logistical efforts, encouraging interaction between junior and senior scholars.

We imagined a “standard” format, to be agreed upon according to the availability of the host institution of course: we envision at least three days for the Summer School (for example from Monday to Wednesday), and the midterm could include the first plenary on Wednesday afternoon and panels on Thursday and Friday, with a conclusion on Friday afternoon or Saturday morning if possible. In other words, this format includes at least five days but, again, calendar and duration are to be agreed with the host institution.

Even if the decision on the location will be made by the next RN37 Board, we think it is very important to launch this call now in order to encourage in time applications and considerations on all the issues.

This topic will also be part of the the agenda of our RN37 Business Meeting in Porto, which is open to all the RN37 members. However, we invite potential hosts to contact the Board by Friday, May 3, 2024 in order to open the debate and start the first conversations regarding potential applications.

Reach us at Urban Sociology rn37.esa@gmail.com

We are also available for any questions or clarification. Looking forward to seeing you in Porto!

The RN37 Board (Anna, Madalena, Katarzyna, Gabriele, Niccolò, and Rui)

The European Sociological Association (ESA) is pleased to announce the CFP opening for the 16th ESA Conference, scheduled to take place in the city of Porto, Portugal, from August 27th to 30th, 2024. 

The conference, themed “Tension, Trust, and Transformation,” promises to be a dynamic and engaging moment for sociologists and scholars from around the world.

To ensure your participation, don’t miss the abstract submission deadline on January 15th, 2024.

Abstracts must be submitted through the conference platform at www.conftool.com/esa2024

We greatly appreciate your commitment and efforts to motivate your colleagues to participate and make the ESA 2024 conference another great and successful event.

We are looking forward to receiving you in Porto!
CALL FOR PAPERS HERE