 | Dear ~~first_name~~,
This week's newsletter brings together a range of opportunities to get involved in our community. Executive nominations are now open, providing members with the chance to help shape the future direction of the Association, with nominations closing at 12:00 pm (AEST) on Monday 20 July.
We're also delighted to welcome 22 new members to TASA this week. Whether you're joining as a student, early career researcher, practitioner, or established academic, we're pleased to have you as part of our growing community.
You'll also find details of members' recent publications, new PhD opportunities, and a newly listed Postgraduate event, 'Sociology of What?', an interactive online masterclass. If you're looking to become more involved in TASA, we're still seeking conveners for the Sociology & Activism and Sociology & Animals Thematic Groups. Finally, if you've been considering submitting to the Social Stratification Symposium, the submission deadline has been extended until 8 July, with bursaries available to support participation.
As we look ahead to TASA 2026, we'd also like to share the pronunciation of the Country on which we'll gather. While the name is written Kabi Kabi, it is pronounced Cubby Cubby (like 'Cubby House').
We hope you find something of interest in this week's edition.
| TASA Key Dates at a glance
|
- Extended to 8 July - Social Stratification one-day symposium abstract submissions
- 17 July - Gary Bouma Memorial Workshop Funding
- 17 July - Distinguished Service to Australian Sociology Award
- 17 July - Outstanding Service to TASA Award
- 17 July - Outstanding Service to the Teaching of Sociology Award
- 17 July - Sociology in Action Award
- 20 July - TASA Election nominations: close Midday (12pm) AEST
- 27 July - Sociology of Youth 'Catch up and Write' session
- 18 August - Postgraduates 'Sociology of What' event
- 20/21 August - TASA Executive Meeting
- 28 August - Social Stratification one-day symposium: Perceptions and Indicators of Social Class in Australia
- 31 August - Sociology of Youth 'Catch up and Write' session
- 28 September - Sociology of Youth 'Catch up and Write' session
- 23 October - Sociology of Religion symposium 'Leaving Religion and the Politics of Nonreligion'
- 26 October - Sociology of Youth 'Catch up and Write' session
- 23 November - Migration, Ethnicity and Multiculturalism symposium 'Theorising migration, settlement and diversity in unsettled times'
- 23 -27 November - TASA 2026
| TASA 2026 Executive Election
| Nominations are called for the following positions on TASA's Executive Committee for the two-year term November 2026 – November 2028:
- President
- Vice-President
- Secretary
- Treasurer
- Indigenous
- Public Sociology
- Equity, Inclusion and Advocacy
- TASA Groups (Thematic Groups and Career Stage Groups)
- Postgraduate
Those elected will hold office for two years, from ratification at the November 24th Annual General Meeting (AGM) to the 2028 AGM.
Candidates need to submit the completed 2026 Candidate Form. Two nominators need to complete and sign a 2026 Nominator Form. Candidates and nominators all need to be current members of TASA.
Signed Candidate and Nominator forms need to be submitted to admin@tasa.org.au by midday (AEST) Monday 20 July, 2026. The Candidate form needs to include a 200 word biography/position statement and profile image.
Expressions of interest for the Digital Publications Editor role are also being called for.
For position descriptions and other Executive Election details, please visit TASAweb here.
| Welcome to this week's 22! new TASA members Catherine Batterham-Baker, Matthew Bunn, Daljinder Singh, Adam Dillon, Chisom Ezenwaji, Tsend-Ayush Ganbaatar, Steev Hassall, Erin Hutton, Pulkita Jain, Jeri Karmelic, Adila Majeed, Kyle Medlock, Judit Molnar, Alan Nixon, Catherine Orian Weiss, Afrika Roach, Md Abdus Sabur, Kosy Ezenwaji, Aye Myat Myat Win, Li Zhou, Rachel Smith, and Erica Hatfield.
And welcome back to renewing members. If you are encountering any issues with the renewal process, please do email Ali at membership@tasa.org.au, any time.
| |
Journals
Zheng, Z., R. E. Olson, and S. Staton. 2026. “Magical Realist Hauntings in Children's Everyday Encounters With Death, or, How to Believe in Impossible Things.” Children & Society 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1111/chso.70065. [open access].
Op-ed / Commentary
| Funding
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.
For details, and the application form link, visit TASAweb here.
Awards
Distinguished Service to Australian Sociology Award
This award is made to a TASA member who has demonstrated outstanding, significant and sustained service to Australian sociology over many years. While not necessarily a lifetime achievement award, candidates for the Distinguished Service Award would usually be nearing the end of their careers.
In all cases the quality of the service is the determining criterion, rather than the quantity alone.
Outstanding Service to TASA Award
This honour is accorded to a TASA member who has demonstrated an outstanding level of participation in and promotion of TASA over a number of years. There are many ways in which this can occur, but in all cases the quality of the service is the determining criterion, rather than the quantity alone.
Outstanding Service to the Teaching of Sociology Award
This award celebrates outstanding contributions to enhancing the pedagogy, practice or outcomes of teaching and learning sociology in Australia. It recognises contributions at the disciplinary level (rather than acknowledging excellence in teaching within the classroom or institutions). Examples of disciplinary-level contributions include innovations in teaching that increase the impact of sociology teaching beyond university contexts, improve student access, experience and outcomes, or inform disciplinary approaches to learning and teaching. Evidence of these achievements may be demonstrated through feedback from students or peers, and/or through publications (peer-reviewed, policy or general), presentations, media, or other relevant indicators.
Sociology in Action Award
This award recognizes contributions to the practice of sociology outside of academic settings. It is conferred on a TASA member who has made an outstanding contribution to sociological practice in Australia.
In this context, outstanding contributions to sociology in action highlight the value and impact of sociological methods and theories to society. This includes both broad social issues, as well as more focused issues for industry, government, business or community sectors.
| TASA Gift Membership and your workplace | Are your colleagues yet to join TASA? Are you teaching or supervising students who would benefit from connecting with sociologists working in diverse settings?
Your institution, research centre or workplace may wish to use TASA's Gift Membership program to kickstart someone's TASA membership. Gift memberships are a great option for smaller amounts of unspent funds in your budget as we approach the end of the financial year.
TASA members can log into TASAweb and purchase gift memberships via their profile screen. Alternatively, email membership@tasa.org.au to learn more about membership fees and categories, and payment by invoice.
If you are having issues with your login, please do email Ali - membership@tasa.org.au - she can fix log in problems for you!
| | POSTGRAD EVENTS | THE SOCIOLOGY OF WHAT | 18TH AUGUST 2026
Join the next TASA Postgraduates Sociology of What? interactive online masterclass on Tuesday 18 August, led by Professor Amanda Wise. Focusing on the sociology of migration, ethnicity and multiculturalism, this participatory session gives postgraduate members the opportunity to apply theory to their own research in small-group discussions.
Places are strictly limited to maintain an interactive format, so register early. A short research outline is required as part of the registration process.
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER | | | Call for Conveners
We are including the call in today's newsletter in case you missed the recent emails that were sent directly to group members.
Sociology & Activism: One of the recently appointed conveners of the Sociology & Activism Thematic Group has unfortunately needed to step down due to other commitments. We are therefore seeking expressions of interest from members who may be able to co-convene the group alongside Vianca de la Cruz through to the 2027 TASA Annual General Meeting.
Sociology & Animals: Unfortunately, the two new conveners for this group have had to step down. We are therefore seeking expressions of interest from members who may be able to convene the group through to the 2027 TASA Annual General Meeting.
| 2026 Monthly ‘Catch Up & Write’ Sessions
Hosted by the Sociology of Youth Thematic Group
TheSociology of Youth thematic group are excited to continue hosting virtual ‘Catch Up & Write’ sessions on the last Monday of every month from 1:00pm to 3:30pm to ensure you all have a dedicated space to write and connect.
If you are interested in joining them, please refer to the below 2026 schedule to register for the sessions you would like to attend. While the writing group is hosted by the Sociology of Youth thematic group, they welcome other TASA members whose research engages with youth in interesting ways. The more the merrier!
2026 SCHEDULE: ‘CATCH UP & WRITE’ SESSIONS
Register to receive Zoom links + save the dates in your calendar!
ONLINE 1:00PM TO 3:30PM AEST
MONDAY 27 JULY | REGISTER HERE*
MONDAY 31 AUGUST | REGISTER HERE*
MONDAY 28 SEPTEMBER | REGISTER HERE*
MONDAY 26 OCTOBER | REGISTER HERE*
* Please note each month’s ‘Catch Up and Write’ session requires a separate registration as each session has a different Zoom link *
The Sociology of Youth team look forward to seeing you at an upcoming session!
If possible, please give the new TASA Sociology of Youth LinkedIn page a follow and share amongst your networks.
| | CALL FOR PAPERS EXTENDED 8TH JULY
Submit your abstract for the TASA Social Stratification Thematic Group’s one-day symposium, Perceptions and Indicators of Social Class in Australia, held in Melbourne on 28 August 2026.
This free event invites scholars examining social class, stratification, and economic inequality to share work-in-progress, contribute to debates on inequality in Australia, and build new collaborations.
Featuring guest speakers Andrew Leigh and A/Prof Steve Threadgold, graduate and early career researchers are especially encouraged to submit
Travel bursaries available. Abstract submission deadline: 8 July. For the full details, read on... | | | Leaving Religion and the Politics of Nonreligion
This symposium, hosted by the Sociology of Religion thematic group & held alongside the 50th anniversary of Religious Studies at the University of Sydney, invites researchers to explore nonreligion as a subject in its own right. Papers are invited on themes including deconversion, religious trauma and recovery, ex-member communities, post-religious life, the politics of nonreligion, the “Mark No Religion” campaign, and the complexities of measuring nonreligion.
University of Sydney, Friday 23 October, hybrid.
| | | | Theorising migration, settlement and diversity in unsettled times
Symposium Keynote: Amanda Wise
TASA’s Migration, Ethnicity and Multiculturalism and Social Theory Thematic Groups invite submissions for a half-day symposium exploring the theoretical foundations, current developments and future directions of migration, ethnicity and multiculturalism research.
23 November, University of the Sunshine Coast.
Some TASA member bursaries are available.
| | | Journal of Sociology, 62 (2)
Issue 62:2 includes a Special Issue on 'Platform Labour in the Global South and Global North', curated by guest editors Lutfun Nahar Lata, Andrew Copolov, and Aditya Ray. This issue includes an Introduction article, six research articles and three book reviews, all centred on digital platform work as this has developed across different geographical locations. In addition to the Special Issue articles, this issue also features four standard articles that all focus on migrants and migration. As usual, in this newsletter you find the abstracts for all articles and a link to each article.
All articles are available here.
| Health Sociology Review, Volume 35, Number 1 (March 2026).
A special issue on, ‘Healthy’ Food Practices: Moving Beyond Healthy Choices and Food Systems, is guest edited by Natalie Jovanovski and Bhavna Middha.
All articles in this special issue are available here.
| Scholarship Opportunities
| New: Cultures of the Cryosphere: Infrastructures, Politics and Futures of Artificial Cooling
Australian National University
Two PhD Scholarships available
The project investigates the cultural preconditions and consequences of the use of artificial cooling and freezing technologies in nutrition, health and reproduction, air conditioning, data processing, laboratory research and other everyday practices. This interdisciplinary research project aims to investigate the far-reaching socio-ecological effects of this energy-intensive planetary "cryosphere" and aims to identify possible alternatives for a more sustainable future of dealing with artificial cold.
Legal needs, access to justice and intersecting inequalities
ICS, Western Sydney University
Part of an ARC DECRA project and in partnership with the Law & Justice Foundation of NSW, this PhD scholarship will research inequalities in people’s experiences of legal problems and identify opportunities for meaningful reforms that address intersectional disadvantages. The precise focus of the PhD is negotiable.
Application deadline: 31 July. Read on...
Violence and Social Repair
Victoria University
The are especially interested in projects geographically focused on Asia and the Pacific, and settler-colonial Australia.
Beyond Participation: Operationalising Theory of Change for Valid & Sustainable Impact Measurement in Community Sport for Development
This PhD looks at how community organisations can turn their Theory of Change (a map of how their work leads to specific outcomes) into a practical, trustworthy way of measuring impact that they can keep using over time.
Supervisors: Professor Camilla Brockett, and fellow member Professor Ramon Spaaij
Media Representation & Public Perception of RNA Vaccines and Therapeutics in Australia
PhD Scholarship
University of Newcastle
Working with fellow member Caragh Brosnan
Creating Safer Sport Communities from Rural to Urban Australia
This is part of an ARC Discovery project Creating Safer Sport Communities from Rural to Urban Australia
The PhD will be housed within Griffith University’s Centre for Social and Cultural Research, Arts, Education and Law group and the Department of Tourism and Marketing, Griffith Business School.
| |
Postdoctoral Research Associate
King’s College London
Full-time / fixed-term, 1 October 2026 to 30 September 2029
Suitable for those working in political sociology, comparative sociology, political science, inequality, democratic support, survey research, experimental research, and/or social data science.
Application deadline: 12 July. Read on...
Lecturer in Geography, Sociology and Political Science
Hong Kong Baptist University
The role includes teaching courses in human geography, physical geography, public administration, general sociology, statistics, research methods, and advanced topics in quantitative analysis across these disciplines.
| Other Events, News & Opportunities
| Award for Excellence in Research
The ISA Award for Excellence in Research and Practice is granted by the International Sociological Association to a sociologist whose outstanding contributions advance and promote sociological knowledge and practice, while strengthening the discipline, the profession, and the ISA.
| Nominations for College of Experts 2027
The Australian Research Council (ARC) is seeking nominations from suitably qualified and experienced individuals, including senior academics and end-users across the private, public and not-for-profit sectors, with peer review and research leadership experience. Researchers with multi-disciplinary and cross-disciplinary expertise are strongly encouraged to apply. We especially welcome nominations from women, particularly those from the STEM disciplines, and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Nominees should have strong institutional support to meet the commitment required of ARC College of Experts members.
| Workshops Program Funding
The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia
The Academy Workshops Program offers Australian social scientists financial assistance to host multidisciplinary workshops which aim to advance research and policy agendas on nationally important issues.
Up to AU$9,000.00 per workshop.
| 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.
Webinars
Human Rights in Focus: 20 Years of the Charter - Ensuring Our Human Rights Laws Are Fit for Modern Day Victoria
Online
Tuesday, 21 July, 2pm - 3pm AEST
For details, and to register, read on...
Building Gender Competency
DASSH
Online
Tuesday, 21 July, 11am - 12pm AEST
For details, and to register, read on...
Public Lectures
Rechnitz Memorial Lecture presented by Professor Marcia Langton
University of Melbourne
Tuesday, 14 July, 5:30pm - 6:45pm AEST
For details, and to register, read on... |  | Conferences
Global Sociology in Turbulent Times
International Sociological Association
XXI ISA World Congress of Sociology
4 to 10 July 2027, Gwangju, Korea
The deadline for Integrative Sessions is 28 September. Integrative Sessions are semi-plenaries that engage a debate on the Congress theme. Read on...
10th Biennial Social Science Methodology Conference
November 24-26, University of Sydney
| 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.
| 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
Indigenous (Morgan): indigenoussociology@tasa.org.au
Digital Publications Editor (Roger): digitalpe@tasa.org.au
Thematic Groups (Molly): thematicgroups@tasa.org.au
Postgraduates (Brooklyn): postgraduates@tasa.org.au | |