 | Dear ~~first_name~~,
We begin this week’s newsletter with a matter of deep concern to our community: as you may have seen previously, Macquarie University is proposing to eliminate the discipline of Sociology. Under the proposed changes outlined to the Faculty of Arts on 3 June, the Sociology major in the Bachelor of Arts and the Master of Public and Social Policy (co-taught with Politics) are both slated for closure.
Tragically, 11 of 14 sociology academics face redundancy, with remaining staff to be redeployed into generalist teaching roles. Politics, too, would be discontinued. These changes would effectively extinguish both disciplines at Macquarie, ending more than 60 years of sociology and politics scholarship at the university.
One way to stand up for our discipline, support affected staff, and defend student choice is to sign the petition linked here.
On a brighter note, this week we are pleased to:
- Congratulate a long term TASA member on their recent promotion to Professor, a wonderful achievement we are proud to celebrate
- Welcome 28 new members into our TASA community, a record for one week!
- Share the latest Journal of Sociology newsletter
- Share new member publications, upcoming events and the recording from our recent TASA Thursdays postgraduate session on Sociology and beyond the thesis, which is available here.
We also have two important deadlines approaching:
- Nominations for 4 of TASA's Awards close on July 17th
- Gary Bouma Memorial Workshop funding applications close on July 14th
Thank you, as always, for your ongoing support of TASA and of sociology. We’re glad you’re here.
| We are thrilled to share the wonderful news that long-time TASA member, Helen Forbes-Mewett, has recently been promoted to Professor following her return from long service leave; a fantastic achievement and recognition of her outstanding contributions to sociology.
You may know Helen from her role as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Sociology from 2021 to 2024. During her four-year tenure, the journal flourished under her leadership, and we are delighted to share that the 2024 impact factor rose to 2.0.
Congratulations, Helen, and thank you for your dedicated service to the discipline and to TASA. We’re so proud to celebrate this milestone with you!
| TASA Awards currently open for nominations include:
Nomination deadline: 17 July.
Nominees will be notified of the outcome in August (for most awards) and October (for the JMA). Award recipients will be formally announced at our TASA 2025 Conference Dinner in November.
| | The call for expressions of interest for our 2026 Gary Bouma Workshop Program is now open. TASA can fund up to two workshops at AU$5000.00 each.
Successful workshops will advance research within sociology and showcase TASA as the face of sociological/interdisciplinary research in the region; engaging with issues of national concern; advancement of knowledge; support innovative ideas, and, the potential of feeding into policy and practice development.
Expression of interest deadline: July 14th.
| | | | Welcoming our new Members
| A warm welcome to our newest members!
This week, we’re delighted to welcome a lot of new members to our TASA community. Whether you’re a student, early career researcher, applied sociologist, or long-time scholar, we’re so pleased to have you with us.
TASA is a space for connection, collaboration, and lifelong learning - and we hope you’ll take full advantage of the opportunities to get involved: from TASA Thursdays to thematic and career stage groups, our annual conference, and more.
If you’re new and would like help finding your way around, don’t hesitate to reach out. We’re here to support you at every stage of your sociological journey.
Welcome aboard, we’re so glad you’re here!
- Haydn Aarons
- Sibel Agilli
- Michael Blight
- Emily Brink
- Kathryn Daley
- Salsawi Debela
- Rohann Irving
- Naiyer Khanom
- Ananya Kulkarni
- Sandi Laaksonen-Sherrin
- Gabriela Silva Loureiro
- Geoffrey Mead
- Kate Naidu
- Pradipta Nath
- Thao Phan
- Chendong Pi
- Jaekyug Roh
- Rajdeep Roy
- Imam Riduan
- Emily Rudling
- Pallavi Sanil
- Andrew Savchenko
- Isabella Scano
- Francesca Sidoti
- Tipu Sultan
- Ishrat Sultana
- Emma Whatman
- Shupu Yan
| | Connell, Raewyn. “The Good University.” Decolonial Options in Higher Education: Cracks and Fissures, edited by Sinfree Makoni and Chanel van der Merwe, Multilingual Matters & Channel View Publications, 2025, pp. 107–21. https://doi.org/10.2307/jj.30412942.11. | Presto, A. C. R. (2025). Contradictions in Gender Inclusivity and Discrimination: Experiencing the Paradoxical Workplace in the Philippines. Sexuality, Gender & Policy, 8(3), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1002/sgp2.70014 (open access).
Cannizzo, F., Strong, C., & Brunt, S. (2025). ‘Getting back to my old self’: women and gender non-conforming people restarting DIY careers in music. International Journal of Cultural Policy, 1–21. https://doi.org/10.1080/10286632.2025.2523377 (open access).
Woods, B., Danks, N., Gorman, J., MacDonald, F., & Corney, T. Climate-Related Perceptions of Young People with Lived Experience of Disasters in Regional and Rural Victoria, Australia. Journal of Applied Youth Studies (2025, published online 21 May). https://doi.org/10.1007/s43151-025-00178-x (open access).
Humphrey, A., & Forbes-Mewett, H. (2025). The experiences, coping practices, and mental health of Ukrainian young people living amid wartime Ukraine.Peace and Conflict: Journal of Peace Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1037/pac0000812 (open access).
| Join us at 12:30pm (AESTS) on 17th July for another TASA Thursdays: The male complaint: Understanding the manosphere & online misogyny, presented by Simon Copland.
Event Details:
Date: Thursday 17th July
Time: 12:30pm - 13:30pm (AEST)
Format: Zoom
Click here to register | | | | TASA Postgraduate inaugural Reading Group will take place online on Tuesday 15th July at 10am - 11am (AEST).
We invite you to join us as we explore this month's theme of Decolonial Sociology.
Event Details:
Date: July 15th
Time: 10am - 11am (AEST)
Venue: online
| | | | Come join us for a relaxed morning coffee with fellow postgrads at MeMi Cafe, Sandy Bay, ANU!
This is a wonderful chance to connect with like‑minded peers, swap stories about your research journey, and chat openly about the highs (and lows!) of postgrad life — all over a warm cup (or two). Whether you’re deep in the writing zone or just finding your feet, this is an informal space where you can relax, make connections, and feel supported.
Event Details:
Date: Thursday 21st July
Time: 10:00am – 11:00am
Venue: MeMi Cafe, Sandy Bay
| | | | Pop by for a relaxed morning coffee with fellow postgrads at As You Like It, Street Theatre, ANU!
It’s the perfect opportunity to meet like‑minded researchers, share stories about your postgrad journey, and connect with others who understand the challenges (and victories!) that come with it. Whether you’re tackling a chapter or just starting out, this informal catch‑up is all about building connections, sharing support, and enjoying a well‑earned cup (or two).
Event Details:
Date: Thursday 24th July
Time: 10:30am – 11:30am
Venue: As You Like It, Street Theatre, ANU
| | | CALL FOR PAPERS: Non-religion, Spirituality & Secularism in Public
The Sociology of Religion thematic group of TASA is inviting scholars working in the fields of non-religion, spirituality, and secularism, to submit an abstract for a symposium to be held at the University of Sydney on the 3rd of October 2025.
Please submit your abstracts via email to k.strehle@westernsydney.edu.au by the 18th of July 2025. Abstracts should be no more than 300 words in length. All abstracts will be reviewed by the organising committee.
| | | 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
| | | Tutoring - Global Society and Change (SOCS101)
Catholic University (ACU) Strathfield campus, Sydney
Up to 4 tutorials, Semester 2, 2025
The unit description is available here.
Applicants should have a PhD in sociology or cognate discipline, or be working towards a PhD in this field(s).
Send expressions of interest, including a brief CV that includes relevant teaching and research experience, to fellow member Associate Professor Tom Barnes as soon as possible.
Senior Research Fellow or Research Associate/Fellow (Fixed term - 18 months)
University of Nottingham, Nottingham
Sociology & Social Policy
Join Professor Philippa Tomczak’s £1.3m, five year European Research Council Starting Grant RECEDE: ‘REgulating Criminal justicE DEtention: glocal prospects for improving health and safety in detention and society’.
Application deadline: July 16. Read on... | | Scholarship Opportunities | New: Reproductive Justice PhD Scholarship
Melbourne Social Equity Institute, University of Melbourne
The candidate's research project proposal should be interdisciplinary in nature and include supervisors from at least two different disciplines (e.g. sociology and obstetrics and gynaecology) at the University of Melbourne. Cross-Faculty supervision arrangements are encouraged but not essential. Please get in touch if you would like some assistance in identifying a second supervisor.
For the full details, read on... | | Other Events, News & Opportunities | New: Council for the Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences (CHASS) June Newsletter
In case you are not aware, TASA members' open access journal article publications submitted for this newsletter also get published in the monthly CHASS newsletter. Depending on the timing, we also promote the events and job/scholarship opportunities, you share with us, via their newsletter too.
You can access the June CHASS newsletter here. | New: Australian Human Rights Awards
The Awards honour and celebrate diverse human rights heroes and significant achievements in protecting and promoting human rights in Australia.
Paul Bourke Awards
The Paul Bourke Awards for Early Career Research honour Australians in the early part of their career who have achieved excellence in scholarship in one or more fields of the social sciences.
| Book Chapters - call for expressions of interest
| | New: Making zines: Critical feminist methods & pedagogies
Edited by fellow member Ash Watson, and colleagues Laura Rodriguez Castro & Sam Trayhurn (the team behind AKE Zine, the critical feminist art/research zine and workshop series. See francesstreetpress.com/ake-zine.)
Contributors for a new international edited collection on feminist zine-making for research and education are being sought. The editors are looking for chapters that offer a unique perspective and practical strategies for utilising zine-making as a vehicle for critical inquiry, art education and/or creative expression. They envision a radical new collection of international work on feminist zine-making that is scholarly and creative in content and form.
Expression of interest deadline: August 1st. Read on... | | | New: Cocktail Critique
The book will provide critical analyses of cocktails, and cocktail cultures, social contexts, and ingredients, considered historically and contemporaneously, and with material from around the world, and from a range of disciplinary and interdisciplinary perspectives, encompassing the social sciences and humanities.
Expression of interest deadline: July 31st. Read on...
| From July 6 to July 13, Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians alike will celebrate NAIDOC week (National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee). This week-long celebration of Indigenous history, culture, and strength has become a period of reflection and festivity alike, with this year's theme "The Next Generation: Strength, Vision & Legacy" encouraging a future that promotes Indigenous self-determination and sovereignty. We strongly encourage all to get involved and find out what events are going on in your area. The NAIDOC website contains a list of events, though your local community may have others on as well.
You can access a list of events on the NAIDOC website here. You can access general details about NAIDOC here.
TASA's Indigenous Team: Joann Schmider, Morgan Carter and John Sopar | Spotlight on Stigma
Online, Thursday July 17, 1:00pm - 2:00pm AEST
Speakers include fellow members Christy E. Newman and Anthony K J Smith
Patient work refers to everyday acts of labour that people do to manage their health. Inclusivity labour is one form of patient work that refers to the efforts that marginalised populations, such as migrants and LGBTQ+ people, undertake when anticipating, accessing, and interpreting the practices of health services and health providers to ensure they are inclusive and stigma-free.
Habit’s Pathways: Guiding Repetition, Governing Conduct, Contested Interruptions
In-person and online, Monday July 21st, 12:00pm - 1:00pm (AEST)
Drawing principally on the work of Michel Foucault, this paper considers how the relations between habit and repetition have been construed in the exercise of different forms of power: disciplinary, pastoral, governmental, and algorithmic, for example.
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:
- Automating Everyday Life (July 30)
- New Possibilities: Young People and Democratic Renewal (August 20)
- 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...
Digital Modernities: Why We Need to Think Historically About the Digital Age
Friday 1 August 2-4pm AEST. Followed by Light refreshments 4-5pm
ACU Melbourne campus & online
We are living in an era of digital modernity that amounts to a recursion of earlier periods of colonialism, hyper-capitalism, and great power competition. This talk will explore the implications of this, defining and then framing digital modernity in the context of post-Enlightenment history and pluralistic critical theory.
| Special Issues - call for submissions
| Masculinities and Emotions: Changing Times and Contexts
Emotions and Society
Guest edited by fellow member Roger Patulny and colleague Fiona McQueen
It is a prescient irony, given the stubborn conception that men ‘don’t express feelings’, that the contemporary bonds, behaviours and excesses of masculinity are so deeply immersed in emotion. It has long been recognised that that men’s conflicts are steeped in emotional experiences and dynamics of shame, irritability and anger (Men’s Project and Flood 2024). Similarly, hegemonic and toxic acts often stem from emotions such as pride and fear (Connell and Messerschmidt 2005). Traditional masculinities have also been implicated in men’s desires and struggles to master their own and other’s emotions, whether this be in the context of emotional control (Barrett & Bliss-Moreau, 2009), couple relationships (McQueen, 2017) or emotional flooding (Malik et al 2020). Other works have advanced the study of masculine emotion beyond these dynamics. Some have pointed out that emotional suppression leaves a stark legacy for many men, making them more susceptible to distress and suicide (River and Flood 2021).
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.
Abstract 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.
Abstract submission deadline: 27 February 2026. Read on...
Re-examining Norms of Good Citizenship When Democratic Values are Under Threat
Special Issue in Political Psychology
This Special Issue aims to bring together normative and empirical approaches on citizenship, ‘good citizenship’ and norms of ‘good citizenship’ in order to facilitate across-disciplinary dialogue that spans temporal and geographic boundaries.
Abstract submission deadline: July 15th. Read on... | Disability Studies Quarterly (DSQ)
The SDS Board of Directors seeks to appoint a new editor or editorial team for a term of four [2025-2029] years, ideally beginning on November 1, 2025 and ending April 1, 2029. This period includes a 6-month onboarding process under the current editorial team and a 6-month offboarding period with new editors appointed in 2028. The editor or editorial team will work with SDS and the DSQ Editorial Board, and collaborate with The Ohio State University Libraries team. The editor or editorial team will be responsible for putting together a new editorial board under their direction and with input from the SDS Board of Directors.
Expression of interest deadline: August 1st. Read on...
| New: Junior Fellowships 2026
Forum Basiliense, University of Basel
In 2026, the Forum will focus on the annual theme "Conflict and Cooperation", inviting interdisciplinary engagement with conflict dynamics and cooperative practices in times of global transformation.
New: 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.
French Institutes for Advanced Study Fellowship Programme
10 months fellowships at the seven Institutes of Aix-Marseille, Cergy, Loire Valley (Orléans-Tours), Lyon, Montpellier, Nantes and Paris. It welcomes applications from high-level international scholars and scientists to develop their innovative research projects in France.
Available positions for the 2026-2027 academic year
Application deadline: July 16 (6pm Paris, France time). Read on...
| New: 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...
New: 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.
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...
The Western Sydney University Challenging Racism Project (CRP) and University of Melbourne Anti-Racism Hallmark Research Initiative (ARHRI) are holding a cross-disciplinary one-day conference
Friday November 7th, Western Sydney University, Parramatta City campus
The conference will be free to attend.
This event will bring together researchers and practitioners who are undertaking work related to anti-racism. This will be an opportunity for us all to learn more about each other’s work, build networks, and explore the potential for future collaborations.
Abstract submission deadline: August 1st. 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.
| | |  | 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.
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 | 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.
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 | 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.
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 | 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.
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 | | 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. |
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 | 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.
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 | 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).
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 | 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). |
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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.
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 | 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. |
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 | 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. |
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Admin (Sally): admin@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 | |