REFLECT
Advancing Cross-Disciplinary Dialogue in Times of Social Transformation
The XXth Conference of the Department of Social Work, Journalism, Public Relations, and Sociology
Lucian Blaga University of Sibiu and the Romanian Sociologists Society (RSS)
26-27 November 2026<\/p>\r\n
<\/p>\r\n
Contemporary societies are marked by overlapping and enduring transformations that reconfigure social structures, institutional arrangements, and everyday life. The prolonged armed conflicts in Europe and neighbouring regions and their persistent social repercussions, alongside forced migration, economic instability, demographic change, and the long-term consequences of the pandemic, have intensified structural inequalities and exposed new forms of vulnerability. These dynamics unfold in contexts shaped by political polarization, contested solidarities, and growing tensions around social justice, responsibility, and institutional trust.
At the same time, rapid technological developments, particularly the expansion of artificial intelligence and data-driven systems, are reshaping research practices, communication environments, organizational governance, and the delivery of social services. AI tools increasingly influence knowledge production, from data collection and analysis to automated content generation and predictive modelling. This raises important questions about transparency, bias, accountability, and epistemic responsibility. In welfare and organizational settings, algorithmic decision-making, digital platforms, and AI-assisted management systems transform administrative routines, professional roles, and access to services. These processes call for critical reflection on datafication, digital inequalities, power asymmetries embedded in technological infrastructures, and the ethical boundaries of automation in human-centred professions.
Understanding these transformations requires attention not only to structural change, but also to how social problems are constructed, mediated, and addressed. Sociological inquiry examines shifting configurations of stratification, power, and social cohesion. Meanwhile, social work engages directly with the lived realities of individuals, families, and communities affected by exclusion, poverty, displacement, and institutional fragility. At the same time, communication processes and journalistic practices play a decisive role in shaping public representations of vulnerability, legitimizing policy responses, and influencing civic engagement and institutional trust. Social issues today are not only experienced and managed but also framed, debated, and contested within complex digital and media ecosystems.
Against this background, the conference seeks to bring together scholars, researchers, and practitioners in sociology, social work, communication sciences, and other connected fields to critically examine contemporary social transformations at the intersection of structural change, professional intervention, and mediated public discourse. We welcome theoretical and empirical contributions that explore emerging risks, institutional responses, methodological innovation, and ethical challenges, while advancing rigorous and socially responsible scholarship.<\/p>\r\n
I. Power, Inequality, and Intimacy Important dates<\/strong> Conference language: Publication<\/strong><\/p>\r\n Subject to their research topics and academic interests, participants may submit complete papers to one of the LBUS scientific journals after the conference. Their submissions will undergo peer review. Please check the submission guidelines for each journal, depending on your interest:<\/p>\r\n <\/p>\r\n\r\n\r\n\r\n <\/p>\r\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" REFLECTAdvancing Cross-Disciplinary Dialogue in Times of Social TransformationThe XXth Conference of the Department of Social Work, Journalism, Public Relations, and SociologyLucian Blaga University of Sibiu and the Romanian Sociologists Society (RSS)26-27 November 2026 Contemporary societies are marked by overlapping and enduring transformations that reconfigure social structures, institutional arrangements, and everyday life. The prolonged armed […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/conferences.ulbsibiu.ro\/asjrps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/285"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/conferences.ulbsibiu.ro\/asjrps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/conferences.ulbsibiu.ro\/asjrps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/conferences.ulbsibiu.ro\/asjrps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/conferences.ulbsibiu.ro\/asjrps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=285"}],"version-history":[{"count":25,"href":"https:\/\/conferences.ulbsibiu.ro\/asjrps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/285\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":517,"href":"https:\/\/conferences.ulbsibiu.ro\/asjrps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/285\/revisions\/517"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/conferences.ulbsibiu.ro\/asjrps\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\u2003
Suggested Topics (including but not limited to)<\/strong><\/p>\r\n
\u2022 Gender, power, and emotional labour in relationships
\u2022 Intimate lives \/ intimate partner violence and social structures
\u2022 Disease, disability, care, and relational autonomy
II. Structural Shifts & Social Vulnerabilities \u2022 Social inequalities, stratification, and social mobility
\u2022 Identity, social values, and solidarity
\u2022 Migration, displacement, and integration
\u2022 Poverty, precarity, and welfare state transformations
\u2022 Demographic change, ageing, and care systems
III. Individuals, Organizations, and the Evolving Nature of Work
\u2022 Work and individual values
\u2022 Successful ageing, late careers, and age diversity at work
\u2022 Individual\u2013organization relations: identity, motivation, engagement and ethics
\u2022 Well-being and occupational health in contemporary workplaces
\u2022 Work\u2013life integration in transitioning societies
\u2022 Organizational change, HR practices and labour market transformations
\u2022 Organizational vulnerabilities and pathologies at work
IV. Professional Practice & Institutional Change
\u2022 Social work practice in crisis and institutional fragility
\u2022 Social policy design, implementation, and evaluation
\u2022 Community development and local resilience
\u2022 Organizational transformation in public services
V. Media, Communication & Public Discourse
\u2022 Journalism, media framing, and representations of vulnerability
\u2022 Communication, polarization, and institutional (mis)trust
\u2022 Misinformation and social cohesion in digital ecosystems
VI. The Digital Frontier & AI
\u2022 Digitalization, platformization, and datafication
\u2022 AI in social research: methodological and epistemological challenges
\u2022 Algorithmic governance and AI-assisted decision-making
\u2022 Human\u2013AI interactions in organizational and work contexts
Submissions of workshops and panels<\/strong>
We encourage submissions of workshops (collaborative and interactive sessions) and panels (at least four presentations on a specific topic). Interested participants are invited to submit their session titles, descriptions (maximum 500 words), and the names and affiliations of speakers via email to conf.asjrps@ulbsibiu.ro by 1 September 2026. Abstracts for papers within the proposed panels should be submitted according to the guidelines outlined in the Submissions of Papers section under the Individual Paper for a Proposed Panel category.<\/p>\r\n
Submissions of papers<\/strong>
The submitted papers can be based on complete or in-progress research. Interested participants are invited to submit their titles and abstracts (maximum 300 words) by 30 September 2026 by filling out the attached form.
<\/p>\r\n
\u25cf Deadline for submitting workshops\/panels\/sections: 1 September 2026
\u25cf Deadline for submitting papers: 15 September 2026
\u25cf Notification of acceptance: 15 October 2026
\u25cf Registration: 30 October 2026<\/p>\r\n
Primarily English, with certain panels conducted in Romanian (details will be provided in the program).<\/p>\r\n\r\n