 | Dear ~~first_name~~,
If you missed last week's TASA Thursdays seminar with last year's Early Career Research Best Paper prize winner, Dorinda 't Hart, who shared fresh insights into abortion discourse, motherhood, and the possibilities of resisting these boundaries through “good enough” mothering, you can catch up with the recording here.
We’re pleased to share a number of updates in this edition. Nominations are now open for the Early Career Researcher Best Paper Prize, and nominations have also reopened for the Raewyn Connell Prize. We encourage you to consider nominating and to share these opportunities with colleagues in your networks.
We also feature recent publications from our members and warmly welcome two new members to TASA's community.
At the same time, our Cultural Sociology Thematic Group is currently without conveners and at risk of disbanding. If you have an interest in this area and would be willing to take on a convening role, we would be very keen to hear from you.
A reminder that panel proposals for TASA 2026 close on 29 March, with general abstract submissions closing on 24 April.
For enquiries, please contact Penny regarding anything event related (including TASA 2026), Ali for Membership and Career Stage Group matters, and Sally for all other TASA queries.
Thanks for reading, and we hope you enjoy this week’s updates.
Warm regards,
TASA Team
| Earlier this week we sent a direct email announcing the reopening of nominations for the Raewyn Connell Prize. The new deadline is now April 30th.
If relevant, we encourage you to consider nominating an eligible first book and to reach out to colleagues or others in your networks who may have published their first book in 2024 or 2025. In case you're not aware, publishers usually cover the cost of books for prize entries.
For the full details, please visit the prize webpage here.
Nominations are now open for the The Most Distinguished Peer-Reviewed Article Published by an Early Career Researcher. This year, the panel are accepting papers published in the previous three years (i.e. 2023, 2024 or 2025). The nomination process requires the person submitting the nomination (or the nominee, if self-nominating) to prepare a written statement of between 150-200 words addressed to the selection panel. This statement will be considered when assessing the article against the criteria below.
The style and format of the statement is open - we encourage innovation! - but it will need to address two key points:
- Originality: the statement must demonstrate how and why the article makes an original contribution to Australian sociology
- Evidence of impact: the statement must demonstrate impact (on the discipline, in the media, in public debate and ideas, or on citations, public policy, or further research opportunities). You may also comment on why future impact is likely to be high.
The article will be assessed based on both the 150 - 200 word statement and the following criteria:
- Quality (e.g. thoroughness, high skill, eloquence) 20%;
- Contribution to sociological thought (e.g. pushing forward) 20%;
- Originality (e.g. innovative application/generation of theory) 20%;
- Clarity (e.g. well-written, clearly organised, presented) 20%; and
- Impact (e.g. policy 5%, practice 5%, citations 5%, new theory or a new understanding of an existing theory 5%) 20%.
A warm thank you to fellow member Katherine Kenny (Health Sociology Review Editor-in-Chief) for nominating Sri Anpalangan as the top Sociology Honours student at the University of Sydney for 2025.
To date, we have received nominations from the University of Sydney, Griffith University & Curtin University.
We encourage Sociology Honours and Masters coordinators across the country to put forward nominations for their top-achieving 2025 students. The award is a meaningful way to recognise emerging sociological talent and celebrate academic excellence within our discipline.
Further information and the nomination link can be found here. | We are still looking for Convenors for the Mid Career Stage Group. If you’ve been working in the field of Sociology for around 10 years, or consider yourself mid-career, we’d love to hear from you. With support from TASA staff, this is a great opportunity to network and contribute. Please feel free to get in touch with Ali at membership@tasa.org.au.
| | TASA THURSDAYS | 26 MARCH | 12:30PM AEDT
Join us on 26 March at 12:30pm AEDT for a special TASA Thursdays New Members Onboarding session. Hosted by the Student Career Stage Group Convenors, this webinar will introduce TASA’s role and objectives, outline key member benefits, and guide you through accessing resources such as thematic groups, career stage networks, journal access, events and the newsletter. Discover how to get involved and make the most of your TASA membership.
| | | | TASA's Gary Bouma Memorial Workshop Funding, for 2027 events, is open for applications. 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.
Funding of AU$5,000 (per workshop) available for workshops to be held in Australia.
Applications close on 17 July, 2026.
| | | TASA 2026 promises to be an inspiring event bringing together the sociological community to explore the theme: Revolution and Resistance. The theme asks: What can sociology offer to understandings of resistance and revolution? How can we read resistance and revolution expansively, productively and generatively in pursuit of a better world?
General Abstract Submission Deadline: 24 April
These include thematic group presentations, book launches, photography exhibitions and workshop proposals.
Panel Proposal Abstract Submission Deadline: 29 March
This is for panel proposals only.
More details about the conference, including the submission links, are available on our TASA 2026 web pages here..
Note, the conference bursary applications are now open as well. You need to submit an abstract before applying for a bursary.
| Welcome to new members Kimberley Forster and Bree Glasbergen. It's a great time to join TASA, with our New Members Onboarding session coming up on Thursday 26 March. If you've joined TASA in the last 12 months, or if you would like to learn more about TASA and how to get the most from your membership, do register via the link below and come along to this session hosted by the Student Career Stage Group and TASA Staff.
We hope to see you there. | | Possamai, A., & Tittensor, D. (Eds.). (Year). Muslims in contemporary Australia (Muslim Minorities, Vol. 47). Brill. | This edited book provides a much-needed update on the field of Islamic Studies in Australia, which has come a long way since the pioneering work of both Riaz Hassan and Gary Bouma to whom this volume is indebted. By highlighting the richness of the contributions of Muslim Australians in diverse areas such as art, literature, architecture and popular culture, alongside the more standard sociological contributions on the ongoing challenges, this book will inspire researchers to look beyond the hackneyed notions of conflict, difference and fear, and seek to tell stories that glimpse behind the curtain and give insight into the Australian Muslim ‘backstage’ experience. Read on...
| | | |
Journals
Friese, S., Nguyen-Trung, K., Powell, S., & Morgan, D. L. (2026). Beyond Binary Positions: Making Space for Critical and Reflexive GenAI Integration in Qualitative Research. Qualitative Inquiry, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/10778004261429393
Noh, Jae-Eun, Prainsack, B., Weiss, E., and B., Pratt (2026). Understandings and practices of solidarity in global health: a scoping review of the literature. Globalization and Health, 22, 29. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12992-025-01170-z (open access).
Possamai, A., Denson, N., Dunn, K., Sharples, R., Ovenden, G., Kamp, A., & Nicholas, L. (2026). Complex Religion, Conspiracy Theories, Misinformation, and Covid-19 in NSW, Australia. Journal for the Academic Study of Religion, 38(3), 307-333. https://doi.org/10.1558/jasr.31961
Reports
Mehta, R., Phillips, M., Panagiotaros, C., Strungaru, S., Bahar, R., Rodrigues, J., & Sassine, J. (2026). Culturally and racially marginalised girls and young women in South West Sydney: Equity of opportunity and civic engagement. Western Sydney University.
Op-ed / Commentary
| | THURSDAY 9TH APRIL | 12:30PM AEST
Join the Social Theory thematic group conveners, Jack Barbalet & Gino Orticio for a first in a series of 'social theory' webinars on 9 April (12:30–1:30pm AEST) with Brad West (University of Adelaide). In Learning from C. Wright Mills on the Causes of World War Three, Brad revisits Mills’ overlooked 1958 text to rethink military metaphysics and the contemporary military-industrial complex. Reflecting on renewed Great Power competition and neoliberal transformations of civil-military relations, this timely session invites sociologists to reconsider the military as a central social institution.
| | | Cultural Sociology Thematic Group - at risk of disbanding
| The Cultural Sociology Thematic Group is currently without a convener/s. Under TASA’s governance framework, groups require active convenorship in order to continue. Without this, the group will be at risk of disbanding. An email was sent directly to all members of the group on Monday. In case you missed that, we are including the call in this newsletter.
Conveners are well supported. You would have support from:
Molly Saunders, Thematic Group Portfolio Leader
Sally Daly, Operational Matters
Penny Toth, Events Manager
Ali Smith, Membership Director
We can assist with communications, event logistics, membership coordination and general administration.
If you are interested in stepping into this role, or would like to have an informal conversation about what it involves, please contact Sally - admin@tasa.org.au - by tomorrow Friday 20 March. Even modest leadership can make a meaningful difference in sustaining this community of scholars.
| Groups Seeking Co-Conveners
| Two of our Thematic Groups are still looking for members to step into co-convening roles:
Being a co-convenor is a rewarding way to contribute to TASA, help shape discussions in your area, and connect with colleagues across institutions and career stages. You won’t be doing it alone, support is available from the Thematic Group Portfolio Leader, the Events Manager, the Membership Director, and me.
If you’re interested in stepping into a co-convenor role, for one of the above groups, or want to know more about what it involves, please contact Sally TASA Admin.
| Applications are invited for the editorship of Health Sociology Review (HSR) for the three-year term 2027 - 2029.
Transition arrangements will begin later in 2026, although the content for the first issue of 2027, and possibly the second, will be finalised by the out-going editorial team.
The application deadline is Monday 22nd June, 2026.
The full details of the call are available on TASAweb here.
|
The latest special issue of the Journal of Sociology is titled Journal of Sociology: 60 years on. In this anniversary editorial Editors-in-Chief Ashley Barnwell and Signe Ravin (picture left) look back to the early days of the journal as they sought to honour its history and legacy. They outline the contents of the special anniversary features curated for this issue, including a section of shorter articles engaging with Alan Davies’ article on “children’s outlooks” in the first issue of the journal; an interview with Professor Fran Collyer about the history of sociology in Australia; and a section featuring six shorter articles by current PhD students engaging with articles from the journal’s rich archive. Lastly, they introduce the standard articles also published in this issue: four original articles which all centre Indigenous lives.‘
All articles of the special issue are available here.
| | | Special Sections
The Journal of Sociology has a section called Special Sections. Proposals are welcome at any time for thematic sections that consist of three or four standard 8,000 word papers, framed with a 4,000 word introduction. This will be an ideal format for developing and publishing outcomes from, for instance, a conference panel, a smaller research network, or papers in conversation around a hot topic. Special Sections are designed to be a smaller, more manageable version of a special issue and will feature in standard issues along with regular papers.
If you would like to pitch a special section, please write firstly to JoS's Managing Editor, Dr Amy Vanderharst.
| Visiting Professor of Australian Studies 2027
Graduate School of International Studies, Seoul National University
Commencement of position: February 2027
Conclusion of position: December 2027
Closing date for applications: 13 April. Read on...
Sociology Professor with tenure, Associate Professor with tenure or Assistant Professor with tenure or Assistant Professor(tenure-track) or Associate Professor (tenure-track)
Faculty of International Research and Education, Waseda University, Japan
Closing date for applications: 31 March. Read on....
| Other Events, News & Opportunities
| Opportunity for ECRs and HDRs
ABC Radio National is once again searching for Australia’s next generation of inspiring research communicators, to take part in this year’s ABC TOP 5 media residencies.
Past TASA member recipients include Barbara Barbosa Neves and Julia Cook.
The ABC TOP 5 gives 15 early career and PhD scholars (five per residency), the chance to spend two-weeks with some of the ABC’s leading journalists and producers
ABC TOP 5 participants receive intensive two-week media training and practical experience, and the aim of the scheme is to enable the selected academics to be the best communicators they can be of their specialist research.
| UNSW Social Policy Research Centre’s (SPRC) short course, Understanding Poverty, Inequality and Social Disadvantage in Australia, is returning in 2026 following three sold-out iterations.
5 May to 23 June
| National survey seeking participants
| Sport and physical activity experiences of women/girls/nonbinary people with disability
The survey is intended for woman/girl/nonbinary person with disability aged 16+, regardless of how much sport you do or do not play.
| National Library of Australia Fellowships
Open to researchers in various fields and disciplines, the fellowships offer financial and research support for dedicated time using the library's collections. Providing extended access to Australia's largest cultural collection, National Library Fellowships foster research that produces new knowledge to shape Australia's intellectual landscape and contributes to public understanding of our collections.
| The Rechnitz Fund Grant Program
Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia
This research funding program is intended to support Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people to develop their careers as researchers across the social sciences.
Application deadline: 17 April. Read on...
International Center for the Sociology of Religion (ICSOR)
The grants provide residence in Rome for the duration of a week or more to a maximum of two months. The ICSOR apartment (all-inclusive, except for food and insurance) and library will be available to awardees free of charge.
| Panels
New: Provocations: What will we eat in the future?
RMIT, Swanston Street, Melbourne
1 April. 6:30pm - 7:45pm AEDT.
As climate change, population growth, and ecological collapse reshape how we produce and consume food, we need to think outside the (lunch) box to find solutions.
Fellow member Natalie Jovanovski will be one of the panellists.
| Workshops
Ethics in practice and trauma-aware data collection
Refugee Education Australia
An online guided workshop series for researchers working in fragile contexts – areas like forced migration, gender-based violence, disaster research, anything involving trauma or sensitive data.
25 March & 1 April. All 3-5pm AEDT.
Fellow member Phillipa Bellemore will be one of the workshop facilitators.
| Seminars
ANU School of Sociology Seminar Series
The program for the ANU School of Sociology Seminar Series is now online. All seminars are hybrid, with options to join via Zoom. Please visit the School’s Humanitix page, here, to view and register for upcoming seminars.
Newcastle Youth Studies Centre (NYSC) 2026 Online Seminar Series
The full 2026 program for the Newcastle Youth Studies Centre’s online seminar series is now out (see below), you can check out each seminar, and register for them, at the NYSC Eventbrite page here.
Note, you can watch the full 2025 recordings at the NYSC's YouTube playlist here.
| | Mapping Deathways — Environmentally, Digitally, and through Repatriationscapes
TOMORROW March 20, 8:00am - 9:30am (GMT)
Explore death across physical, digital, and symbolic landscapes. This webinar examines eco-grief, digital afterlives, and repatriation practices, showing how environmental crises, technology, and migration shape contemporary deathways and cultural memory.
Speakers include fellow member Tamara Borovica.
This event is for Academics, students, practitioners, and anyone interested in how death intersects with environment, technology, and migration. Expect engaging discussions on how ecological crises, digital memorialisation, and repatriation reshape memory and belonging across global and post-colonial contexts.
| | | Conferences
Sport, Politics, and Society
The Tunisian-Mediterranean Association for Historical, Social and Economic Studies (TMA for HSES) and the Tunisian World Center for Studies, Research, and Development (TWC for SRD)
December 1, 2, 3 / 2026 (Beja - Tunisia).
Digital and Sexual Citizenship in an Age of Social Media Bans: Interrogating the Rights of Children and Young People
Initiative of the ECU Ethical Digital Futures Group
6-8 July, Perth, in-person only
Abstract and/or panel proposal deadline: 20 April. Read on...
Toward an Intelligent Society: Challenges & Opportunities” [Human Intelligence(s) vs. Artificial Intelligence]
University "Fehmi Agani" Gjakove, KOSOVO
Hyrbid, 22-23 May
Religion as a Weapon of War: in the past, present and future
World Conference for Religio. us Dialogue and Cooperation
June 22-26. 2026, Skopje, North Macedonia
Abstract submission deadline: 15 April. Read on...
BSA Annual Conference 2026: 75 Years of Sociology
University of Edinburgh, UK
8-10 April.
| Call for Editors
Journal of Intercultural Studies - call for Associate Editors
Applicants with expertise in cultural studies and postcolonial literature; decolonial studies; race/ethnicity/migration studies are encouraged to apply. Our Associate Editors are based in different locations around the world - applicants from diverse geographies are encourged. Feel free to reach out to the current editors-in-chief if you have any specific queries.
Expression of Interest deadline: 20 April. Read on...
| Call for Submissions
Social Conditions, Clinical Logics: Rethinking Young People’s Engagement with Drug Treatment
International Journal of Drug Policy
This special issue invites submissions that explore or examine how the social conditions of young people’s substance use shape their engagement in drug treatment. Editors are looking for papers that critically explore, among other things, biomedical and psychologised approaches to AOD care, how contexts of crisis and social inequity shape treatment experience, and how treatment might be experienced differently by First Nations, LGBTQ+, refugee, migrant and racialized youth.
Serendipities. Journal for the Sociology and History of the Social Sciences
If you would like to propose a special issue for their collection, please feel free to discuss this with the Managing Editors. If your ideas are further advanced, you are welcome to send them a one-to-two page proposal.
Managing Editors:
- Fran Collyer, University of Wollongong Australia, Fran@francollyer.com
- Kristoffer Kropp, Roskilde University, Denmark, kkropp@ruc.dk
You can find more information about our journal here.
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. Read on...
| For membership information, processes, and frequently used resources, visit the Members' Navigator. To contact a member of the team directly, see our TASA Staff page.
| Admin (Sally): admin@tasa.org.au
Events (Penny): events@tasa.org.au
Membership (Ali): membership@tasa.org.au
Digital Publications Editor (Roger): digitalpe@tasa.org.au
Thematic Groups (Molly): thematicgroups@tasa.org.au
Postgraduates (Brooklyn): postgraduates@tasa.org.au | |