Special Issue of The British Journal of Sociology: “The New Sociology of Propaganda”

Posted 2/6/26 (Expires March 16, 2026)

Guest Editor: Freeden Blume Oeur (Tufts University, USA)
Abstract Submission Deadline: Monday, 16 March 2026
Full Manuscript Submission Deadline: Friday, 30 October 2026

Propaganda is among the most pervasive and vexing social problems today. In the age of big data and given the tight grip that traditional, social, and new media have on our lives, a crowded field — states, governments, news outlets, civil institutions, and experts — have fought to control, filter, and censor information and its ideological messaging. In the United States, conservatives decry the fake news media, “woke” brainwashing of young people, and rigged jobs report numbers. Many have sounded the alarm over recent presidential executive orders seeking to restore “truth and sanity” in American history, book bans, “copaganda,” the censoring of school curricula and independent media, and other modes of government overreach. Facing today’s “infodemic,” fact checkers have their hands full. Israel has criticized British universities for promoting Hamas propaganda. More recently, social media has been besieged by “pro-EU propaganda” asserting the need for a more unified Europe in the face of threats from the United States and Asia.

The time is right for social scientific research that updates and advances understanding of propaganda. Propaganda has enormous implications for how knowledge and values are disseminated and internalized, how public opinion is shaped, how populations come to behave, and how social hierarchies are reproduced and unsettled. This special issue welcomes sociological research from all subfields and all methodologies, covering any corner of the globe, which bears on questions of modern propaganda.

For more information and for details on how to submit an abstract for consideration in this special issue, please see the journal’s website.

Summer School on Organizational Theory for Education Research

Posted 3/6/26 (Expires April 3, 2026)

PhD students and early-career scholars are invited to apply to the Summer School on Organizational Theory for Education Research. Held online on Fridays in June (8:00–11:00 AM Pacific Time), this free course introduces key organizational perspectives, demonstrates their use in education research, and builds community among emerging OT scholars. Submit your application by April 3, 2026: bit.ly/oter2026

2026 Junior Theorist Symposium Mini-Conference: Call for Précis

Posted 1/16/26 (Expires March 20, 2026)

The 20th Junior Theorists Symposium (JTS) is now open for submissions. The JTS is a conference featuring the work of emerging sociologists engaged in theoretical work, broadly defined. Sponsored in part by the Theory Section of the ASA, the conference has provided a platform for the work of early-career sociologists since 2005. We especially welcome submissions that broaden the practice of theory beyond its traditional themes, topics, and disciplinary function. We invite submissions from all substantive areas of sociology, and encourage papers that are works-in-progress and would benefit from the discussions at JTS. The symposium will be held as an in-person event on Friday, August 7 prior to the 2026 ASA Annual Meeting in New York City. Précis submissions are due March 20th, 2026 at 11:59pm ET. For more information, visit the ASA Theory section’s website here.

ASA Professional Development Opportunities

Posted 1/16/26

Live Webinars for All ASA Members:

• March 26, 2026: Best Practices in Data Collection and Management (more info here)

Virtual Proseminars for Graduate Students and Early Career Faculty:

• April 9, 2026: Techniques for Conducting Field Interviews (more info here)