Conference Programme

You can find the abstracts for the presentations in the Abstract book.

Presentation Guidelines for Participants 

The sessions last for 90 minutes and consist of presentations and group discussion.  

• The participants are allocated 15 minutes for their presentations. Please respect the time limit to ensure all speakers have equal time and there is enough time for questions and discussion after the presentations. 

  • 1. • The conference rooms are equipped with a projector, computer, and audio-visual support

       • We recommend arriving at the venue 5 minutes early to test the setup

• We kindly ask all presenters to send their PowerPoint presentations to 📧 esarn15midtermmeeting2025@ffst.hr
  using the subject line: Name_Surname_PPT

  • 1. • Deadline for submission: 1 September 2025, to ensure smooth technical preparation

Keynotes and semi-plenary speakers

Thursday 18 September 2025  Location: Marko Marulić Hall, FFST

9:15-10:30 – Alexandros Kentikelenis: The Microfoundations of Globalization

Norms are the foundation of economic and political globalization: they define which policies are considered appropriate, legitimate, and necessary. But where do these norms come from? This talk investigates the agency of individuals in shaping the normative infrastructure of globalization. Blending insights from cultural sociology and political economy, I advance a relational account of how the intersecting identities of global governance actors—state representatives, professionals, technocrats—shape the content of global norms. Rather than approaching globalization primarily through states and systems, this perspective foregrounds the socialized individuals whose interactions and contestations drive norm-making. Understanding contemporary globalization, therefore, requires turning our analytical attention to these actors, whose patterned behavior gives the global order its particular form.

Location: Marko Marulić Hall, FFST

15:45-16:30 – Valerija Barada: Local concepts for global interpretations: the un/making of autochthonous knowledge

This talk explores the development of sociology in Croatia, with particular emphasis on theoretical approaches and the interpretative articulation of local and/or autochthonous concepts. A critical overview demonstrates that Croatian sociology has evolved in tandem with social and political circumstances from the emergence of the discipline in the first half of the 20th century, through its reconstitution after World War II within the framework of a socialist state, to contemporary developments characterized by increased collaboration with civil society organizations and engagement in both cross-national and national research projects. Recent institutional changes suggest that Croatian sociology is influenced by broader (global) processes of academic transformation, often to the detriment of its interpretative potential.

Following its initial establishment within the fields of legal and criminological disciplines in the early 20th century, the interwar period and the immediate aftermath of World War II witnessed the emergence of the first local concepts and interpretations, such as the ideas of Vera Erlich-Stein (transformation of the patriarchal family) and Dinko Tomašić (tribal and communal culture of Croats). These ideas have endured, but reluctantly inform contemporary theoretical frameworks. After World War II, sociology was abolished by the socialist regime and was only re-institutionalized in 1963. During this period, Marxist approaches predominated, leaving limited space for the development of local concepts, despite the notable activity of the Praxis School. Nevertheless, one of the original and rare contributions came from Josip Županov, whose “egalitarian syndrome” concept remains a subject of debate, particularly regarding its empirical verifiability, an issue that reflects a broader shift toward reductionist evaluations of theory.

Although always embedded within broader transnational feminist movements, the development of feminist academic knowledge and activism since the late 1970s warrants particular attention. This development was especially driven by the Women and Society Section of the Sociological Association of Croatia, alongside the work of numerous women across the former Yugoslavia (notable Croatian figures include V. Pusić, R. Iveković, V. Kesić, and L. Sklevicky). The authors associated with the Section, and later with various initiatives, associations, and journals, offered theoretical, analytical, and interpretative insights into the position of women in socialist society in ways previously absent from both Croatian sociology and the broader academic landscape of Yugoslavia.

During the transitional period of the 1990s and early 2000s, the theoretical frameworks employed in Croatian sociology were largely borrowed from Western contexts. Although the concept of “two modernizations” (developed by I. Tomić Koludrović) and the study of elites and capitalism (I. Rogić, J. Županov) may be considered partial local contributions, they remain grounded in Western theoretical traditions. From the 2010s onward empirical research has become methodologically sophisticated and aligned with global trends, yet remains theoretically and interpretatively eclectic. While some authors, such as D. Sekulić and V. Katunarić, have attempted to explain the specific trajectory of Croatian societal development, there is a growing absence of both local and broader interpretative frameworks. Contemporary Croatian sociology is increasingly atheoretical and does not offer deeper interpretations of societal processes and change. The richness of empirical data and research networks is not matched by the interpretative strength of local knowledge.

In conclusion, the talk raises the question of how to make sociological theory both autochthonous and analytically robust. It is suggested that this requires moving beyond classical dichotomies (such as traditional–modern) and developing middle-range theories rooted in the specific circumstances of Croatian society while simultaneously situated within global contexts.

Friday 19 September 2025 Location: Marko Marulić Hall, FFST

9:00-10:15 – Geoffrey Pleyers: Global Sociology in Polarized Times

Parallel sessions on 18 September 2025

Parallel sessions I – 11:00-12:30

A) International migration and translocal lives (1/4)

   Location: Marko Marulić Hall, FFST Chair: Victor Roudometof

• Joerg Duerrschmidt & John Eade: Beyond the ‘Divided City’: Comparing two Globalizing European Cities

• Xinwei Zhang: Staying for the Child: Migration, Intergenerational Futures, and the Uneven Life Chances of Growing Up in Europe

• Franka Zlatić: The Other ‘Other’: Indian Labour Migrants and Media Representations in Croatia

• Margareta Gregurović, Simona Kuti, Snježana Gregurović, Sonja Podgorelec & Sanja Klempić Bogadi: Changing Migration Patterns and Translocal Arrangements of Migrant Workers in Croatia

B) Contested status of science and expertise in contemporary societies

  Location: P29 Chair: Ivan Serbin

• Can David Tobias: The performance of (in)expertise - redefining the expert-lay relationship in the face of legitimacy challenges

• Ryder Gillespie: For a science of the social

• Lauri Heimo & Jukka Syväterä: Mobilizing Expertise: The Use of Science and Expert Knowledge in Parliamentary Debates on Universal Basic Income

C) Decolonial and postcolonial approaches

   Location: P7 Chair: Gwenaëlle Bauvois

• Valeriya (Lera) Lindstrom: Russian Liberal Empire project? Analysing the Russian Liberal Opposition’s Narratives in the Context of Imperialism and Resistance

• Tiina Kontinen: In the intersection of decolonization and populism? “Othering” in the discourses on change in the global aid architecture

• Gino Orticio: The Politics of Broken Things: Digital Infrastructural Breakdowns and Ontological Politics

Parallel sessions II – 12:45-14:15

A) International migration and translocal lives (2/4)

   Location: Marko Marulić Hall, FFST Chair: John Eade

• Seyma Esin Erben: Social Communication of Migrants in Malta: An Analysis in the Context of Cleft Habitus and Social Mobility

• Sylvain Beck & Benedicte Brahic: Considerations on discipline's boundaries on the categories of expatriation and migration in turbulent times. The case French abroad

• Valtteri Vähä-Savo: Navigating Multidirectional Trust Relations in Asylum Interviews

B) Polarization of politics and fragmentation of societies from a global and transnational viewpoint (1/2)

   Location: P29 Chair: Marija Lončar 

• Marjaana Rautalin, Eetu Vento & Jukka Syväterä: Navigating in emerging illiberalism: how does the OECD adapt its formal reporting for illiberal recipients of policy advice?

• Ivan Serbin: Agents Among Us: Governance and Suspicion in Russia's Foreign Agent Law (2012-2022)

C) Climate change, exogenous shocks, and conflicts on national and international policies

   Location: P7 Chair: Gwenaëlle Bauvois

• Hamed Niroumand: Land Subsidence and Global Inaction: An Overlooked International Crisis

• Taru Salmenkari: Where are the global and the local in climate action? Observations from international climate summits

• Hamed Niroumand & Lech Balachowski: Building beyond Earth: Earthen Building and Earthen Architecture as Inspiration for a Sociotechnical Perspective on Space Geotechnics for Lunar and Martian Construction

Parallel sessions III – 16:45-18:15

A) International migration and translocal lives (3/4)

   Location: Marko Marulić Hall, FFST Chair: Sylvain Beck

• Lucie Mackova: Who is the ideal migrant? Evidence from a conjoint experiment in Czechia

• Buse Ozum Dagdelen: Better Lives': A Globally Circulating Idea Among Transnational Women Carers

B) Gender and sexuality from a global perspective (1/2)

   Location: P29 Chair: Valtteri Vähä-Savo

• Maya Kagan &  Asaf Dubinsky: Muscularity and masculinity: Investigating the role of BMI in male appearance comparisons and muscle dysmorphic disorder symptomatology

• Haolin Zhang: Unexpected Thrivingness: radical feminist consciousness among Chinese women

• Laure Sizaire: Theorizing Gender Regimes from Below Through Transnational Conjugality

C) Polarization of politics and fragmentation of societies from a global and transnational viewpoint (2/2)

 Location: P7 Chair: Marjaana Rautalin

• Ayça Yilmaz & Ozan Tekin: The Intersection of Artificial Intelligence , Political Polarization and Universities in Turkey

• Rosario Palese: Echoes of division. Polarization in the digital ecosystem

• R.Gökçe Sanul Diner: Rethinking the Public Sphere through Urban-to-Rural Migration: Collaborative and Performative Practices in Southwestern Turkey"

• Gwenaëlle Bauvois: Femonationalism and the Reappropriation of Feminist Activism: The Case of Identitarian Feminism

Parallel sessions on 19 September 2025

Parallel sessions IV – 10:30-12:00

A) Culture, identity, and cosmopolitanism in a changing world (1/2)

   Location: Marko Marulić Hall, FFST Chair: Zorana Šuljug Vučica 

• Brian Conway: Trajectories of the Global Catholic Priesthood: Investigating the Role of Local Events

• Evelyn Miller: Digital Creative Communities and Cultural Consumption in the South Asian Diaspora

• Judit Vegh, Marie Theresa Claes & Joyce Jenkins: The Dynamics of Expatriates' Perceived Privilege in Times of Crisis

• Jiachen Ye: Being a “Tea Connoisseur” in Coffee-Loving Finland: Cultural Capital, Identity, and Social Networks in Helsinki’s Tea World

B) Methodological and theoretical developments in global and transnational sociology (1/2)

   Location: P29 Chair: Pertti Alasuutari

• Kaisa Murtoniemi: Conjunctural analysis as a method for a more nuanced understanding of the complex present

• Haimo Schulz Meinen: Milking the Millions

• Barış Yüksel: Postmigrant Belonging and Future Imaginaries: Rethinking Migration Research

• Eetu Vento: Discursive approach in analysing institutional change in world society

C) Globalization, localization, and glocalization

   Location: P7 Chair: Tiina Kontinen

• Victor Roudometof: Globalization in a post-globalization era

• Emanuela Proietti: The Role of Universities in Lifelong Learning: Balancing Global Knowledge and Local Needs

Parallel sessions V – 13:15-14:45

A) International migration and translocal lives (4/4)

   Location: Marko Marulić Hall, FFST Chair: Xinwei Zhang

• Olga Tkach: Home accommodation for the war-displaced people and humanitarian labour of volunteer mediators to make it possible

• April Maja Almaas: The Norwegian health and integration services’ encounters with unaccompanied refugee minors in the context of family reunification: A Decolonial Approach

• Anna Facchetti: Bridging cultures: the role of social laboratories in promoting sustainable integration of migrants in Italy

• Vladimir Cvetković & Jasmina Petrović: Social values and children upbringing in Britain and Serbia, a long-term perspective and comparison

B) Gender and sexuality from a global perspective (2/2)

   Location: P29 Chair: Lauri Heimo

• Sirka Komulainen: Cosmopolitan recognition: The Case of the Childfree

• Katia Aviles, Deni Mazrekaj, Floris Peters & Tanja van der Lippe: The Labor Market Outcomes of LGBT Migrants: Evidence from Dutch Population Data

C) Methodological and theoretical developments in global and transnational sociology (2/2)

   Location: P7 Chair: John Eade

• Silvia Malacarne: Mutual learning in evaluation practices: a documentary analysis of four development projects in the Global South

• Pertti Alasuutari & Karin Creutz: The imagery of system in epistemic governance

• Anita Dremel, Ksenija Klasnić, Marija Lončar & Zorana Šuljug Vučica: Embodiment, Standpoint, and the Limits of Knowledge: Addressing Critiques

Parallel sessions VI – 15:00-16:30

A) Culture, identity, and cosmopolitanism in a changing world (2/2)

   Location: Marko Marulić Hall, FFST Chair: Valtteri Vähä-Savo

• Elsje Fourie: Global Novels, Global Readers? Imagining transnational communities along the circuits of global literary consumption

• Haolin Zhang: Gender as a new nationality: ‘I’m a woman, first. Then I am a Chinese’

• Fatma Güzin Ağca-Varoğlu: Understanding “Difference” in Muslim Minorit(ies) in Germany

• Janet Fenech: On the Latch: Dynamics of Segregation in a Gated Community in Bangalore, India