2024
Call for papers
Fostering Cross-disciplinary Reflections to Bridge Societal Divides
Recent events such as armed conflicts in Europe and neighbouring regions, mass migration, and humanitarian crises involving refugees have profoundly altered the way people live and think about the world. Emerging in the context of distressed societies, still struggling with the aftermath of the pandemic, these developments have not only brought about new challenges but also reinforced deepseated inequalities of class, gender, ethnicity, and education, to list but a few.
Societies are, therefore, navigating a complicated web of interrelated and overlapping social and political challenges, from demographic shifts to increased vulnerabilities both on and offline, which call for reflections and reorganizations in the ways governments, citizens, and diverse organizations engage in dialogues and collaboration. However, fostering dialogue and cooperation proves challenging within societies characterized by polarization, violent extremism, and a communication landscape marked by increasingly complex and elusive forms of mis- and disinformation. Populism, polarization and information disorders hinder the efforts of the public sphere in addressing the aforementioned issues.
Click here below to read the full text of the REFLECT conference call for papers.ULBS_Call-conference-2024_-extendedDownload
Interested participants are invited to submit their abstracts (maximum 300 words) by 15 October 2024 by filling out this form.
Please indicate the topic of your presentation and how it is relevant to the proposed background and adjacent themes.
The conference’s language is English.
Please visit also the call for papers of the Social Change Review
Conference events
Conference workshops
Depending on their interests, participants could also attend the three workshops organized within the conference. Two of these workshops will be delivered in Romanian.
Lansarea Laboratorului de Dezvoltare Comunitară (LDC)
Acest workshop va oferi un cadru pentru explorarea unor aspecte relevante pentru dezvoltarea comunitară și pentru transformările socio-economice în comunități locale din România. Se va realiza o prezentare a conceptului care a stat la baza propunerii de extindere Centrului pentru Cercetare Socială de la nivelul ULBS prin înființarea Laboratorului de Dezvoltare Comunitară (LDC) și vor fi expuse principalele obiective ale strategiei de dezvoltare LDC. În acest context, cercetători afiliați LDC vor exemplifica arii de expertiză acoperite la nivelul laboratorului prin raportarea la portofoliul propriu de cercetări și studii realizate în domeniu. De asemenea, reprezentanți ai mediului socio-economic și ai instituțiilor publice vor expune problematici cu care se confruntă în dezvoltarea comunitară și vor discuta potențiale direcții de colaborare cu specialiștii și cercetătorii din cadrul laboratorului.
Detalii privind desfășurarea atelierului: în cadrul acestui atelier, participanții nu pot prezenta lucrări, dar pot participa în măsura în care sunt interesați de temă. Limba de desfășurare a atelierului este româna.
Contact person: Sorina Corman; sorina.corman@ulbsibiu.ro
Provocări în asistența socială
În fața noilor provocări generate de modificările legislative din sfera asistenței și protecției sociale a unor categorii vulnerabile (copii și tineri, persoane cu dizabilități, vârstnici, persoane paupere, altele) acest workshop propune un cadru de analiză și reflecție pentru practicieni și cercetători, cu privire la modele de bune practici și alternative de intervenție, pe baza cărora să se îmbunătățească sau să se mențină calitatea actului profesional. Workshopul este destinat asistenților sociali și altor specialiști din domeniul social.
Detalii privind desfășurarea atelierului: în cadrul acestui atelier, participanții nu pot prezenta lucrări, dar pot participa în măsura în care sunt interesați de temă. Limba de desfășurare a atelierului este româna.
Contact person: Viorica Bobic; viorica.bobic@ulbsibiu.ro
Exploring Workforce Diversity: Addressing Aging in Modern Societies
Modern societies are challenged by multiple transformations, among which population aging, particularly in the Western world, raises new and intriguing questions for both researchers and practitioners in the fields of work and organizational studies.
The workshop aims to explore aspects related to aging and work. The discussions will address topics such as: work and organizational practices for an age-diverse workforce, successful aging at work, the integration of age-diverse workers and knowledge transfer, aging and technology in the workplace, as well as career development in later life and retirement.
Details on workshop delivery: The workshop languages are English and Romanian.
Contact person: Horațiu Rusu; horatiu.rusu@ulbsibiu.ro
Registration
Participation Fee
Academics, researchers, practitioners: 40 Euro / 200 RON
Graduate and postgraduate students: 25 Euro / 125 RON
The participation fee covers conference materials, coffee breaks, and lunches on the conference days.
Participation fees can be paid either online or on-site.
Bank details:
Banca Comerciala Romana
SWIFT RNCB RO BU
IBAN: RO42RNCB0232134783120001
CUI: 31865002
Programme
The full programme for REFLECT conference 2024 is available here:Reflect_conference-programme-2024Download
We are pleased to confirm the following keynote speakers :
Prof. Lavinia Stan, St. Francis Xavier University (Canada)
Using Cross-Disciplinarity in Religion and Politics: A view
Abstract The field of Religion and Politics has been fertile ground for linkages that cross disciplinary boundaries. Religious studies scholars, political scientists, sociologists and anthropologists, as well as historians have pondered over numerous research questions meant to uncover the interplay between religious organizations, symbols, traditions and practices, on the one hand, and political processes, institutions and actors, on another hand. This talk will review some of the key works on religion and politics, and propose ways in which cross-disciplinarity can contribute to the advancement of our understanding.
Bio note
Lavinia Stan is Professor in the Department of Political Science and Research Fellow at the Brian Mulroney Institute of Government, St. Francis Xavier University, Canada. A comparative politics specialist, she has researched and published on post-communist democratization, transitional justice and religion and politics. She is the author or editor of 15 books, including Encyclopedia of Transitional Justice (Cambridge University Press, 2013 and 2023). Stan is the author of numerous book chapters and scholarly articles, and the Editor-in-Chief for the peer-reviewed East European Politics and Societies: and Cultures, as well as Women’s Studies International Forum. Starting with 1st November 2024, prof Lavinia Stan is ERA chair holder at Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu within the HORIZON project “Fostering excellence in research on State-Church-Body Politics”- (FERBOPO) grant no 101184092.
Prof. Vera Taube, Technical University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt (Germany)
How to navigate a fractured world – or at least how to try
In recent years, a convergence of armed conflicts in Europe and neighboring regions, mass migrations, and humanitarian crises involving refugees have reshaped global realities, with significant implications for everyone’s daily lives. These events have unfolded against a backdrop of societies already struggling with the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, exacerbating existing social challenges. The current situation particularly affects young people’s hopes and future aspirations. As young people navigate an increasingly precarious world, they face growing inequalities along lines of class, gender, ethnicity, and access to education. This paper explores the impact of these crises on young people’s identity formation in the German context, presenting the findings of two major studies of youth in Germany – the Shell Study and the Sinus Study. This exploration aims to provide valuable insights for educators, policymakers, and practitioners working to address the unique challenges faced by today’s youth in increasingly complex global contexts. In addition, this presentation will share the social work perspective on educational frameworks as a tool for responding to these new realities and fostering resilience and inclusivity in an era of profound uncertainty. The discussion begins with an insight into the current mindset of German youth and ends with the question of the potential of social work to empower and support the future generation for an uncertain future, equipping youth to navigate a fractured world.
Bio note
Dr. Vera Taube is a Professor of Educational Science in Social Work at the FHWS in Germany. Her main areas of interest include social work in the context of youth welfare, case management and social diagnosis, professional theory, and international social work. Her research activities target professional practice in youth welfare, social work in hard-to-reach contexts, and professional identity in social work.
Organising committee
Ionela Vlase
Adela Popa
Ioana Ciocan
Ioana Crețu
Ioana Silistraru
Mara Birou
Oana Lup
Sorina Corman
Viorica Bobic
Contact
Address: 2A, Street Lucian Blaga, Sibiu, Romania
For any queries please contact conference organizers at e-mail address: conf.asjrps@ulbsibiu.ro