Linking Theory and Empirical Research

Berlin, July 17 – 28, 2016

We are delighted to announce the 6th Berlin Summer School in Social Sciences. The summer school aims at promoting young researchers by strengthening their methodological understanding in linking theory and empirical research. The two weeks’ program creates an excellent basis for the advancement of their current research designs.

In the first week we address the key methodological challenges of concept-building, causation/explanation and micro-macro-linkage that occur in almost all research efforts and strive for a clarification of the epistemological foundations underlying methodological paradigms. In the second week, these methodological considerations are applied to central empirical fields of research in political science, sociology, and their intersections with other disciplines. In this second part of the program participants are assigned to four thematic groups according to their own research topics. The thematic areas cover “External Governance, Europeanization, and Global Norms Diffusion”, “Citizenship, Migration and Social Inequalities”, “Social Struggle and Globalization”, and “Democracy at the Crossroads”.

The program is characterized by a varied format of lectures, workshops, seminars, and one-to-one consultations. During the summer school participants will also have the opportunity to present and intensely discuss their own work and approaches and will be provided with hands-on advice for their research designs.

The school brings together a faculty of renowned international and Berlin-based scholars. Among the confirmed international lecturers are Gilbert Achcar (University of London), Donatella Della Porta (EUI), Macartan Humphreys (Columbia University), Bob Jessop (University of Lancaster), Sanjay Reddy (New School), and Vera Troeger (University of Warwick).

The Berlin Summer School is a joint endeavor of the Berlin Graduate School of Social Sciences (BGSS) at Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin and the WZB Berlin Social Science Center. It is co-funded by the two institutions. Moreover, we receive generous funding from the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). Details on travel grants and tuition fees can be found on our webpage.

The international summer school is open to 50 PhD candidates, advanced master students and young Post-Docs. The call for applications has opened. Applications can be submitted online via the application form on the summer school webpage until March 31, 2016.

The decisions of the selection committee will be communicated to the applicants at the beginning of April. For more information, please visit our webpage at www.berlinsummerschool.de.

If you have additional questions, please contact directly the organizing team at

summerschool.bgss@hu-berlin.de

Pre-Conference Workshop at the 28th Nordic Sociological Association Conference, 10th of August, 2016, Helsinki: Call for Applications

Knowledge-making practices under scrutiny: Creolizing theory and method in social sciences

The 28th NSA Conference focuses on the theme Knowledge-Making Practices and Sociology’s Global Chal- lenge. The conference has a dazzling group of keynote speakers: Professors Raewyn Connell, Giampietro Gobo and Gurminder K. Bhambra. These leading scholars have all addressed vital concerns for how to keep sociology relevant in a globalizing world pestered by poverty, inequalities, violent oppositions and deep conflicts with roots in historic injustices. Their shared ambition is to consider how sociologists can study the world in ways that do not duplicate the prejudices that sustain its inequalities. The Pre-Conference invites Nordic Ph.D. students interested in tackling this challenge to enter in dialogue with them. Regardless of their field of research, the junior scholars of today will be called for by their diverse publics to address the global issues and their local expressions.

Applications for participation are to be submitted by March 22nd to the address nsa-2016@helsinki.fi . The application should include a max 2-page CV, 250 word description of the topic of your research, identifying which of the keynote speakers you mainly see as connected to your work. (Identify the subject of your message as “PRE-CONFERENCE”.)

The papers presented will not be the usual summary of one’s own work but a critical discussion on how one of the authors’ work relates to one’s own research. As a pre-assignment participants will read selected texts by the guest teachers Connell, Gobo and Bhambra. Each participant will write a short (3-5 page) reflection paper on the texts’ relevance to one’s own research. We wish to establish a spirit of free discussion, so do see your paper as a thinking piece, work-in-progress, rather than a very polished text.

In addition to attending to paper sessions with the keynote speakers, participants can attend a publishing workshop hosted by SAGE Publications. The social program also supports network building, which will help especially those attending the whole conference to have a rewarding experience.

This event is a collaboration between the NSA, the Westermarck Society, Åbo Akademi University and University of Helsinki. It is sponsored by the International Sociological Association (ISA) and UniPID (Finnish University Partnership for International Development). The maximum number of participants is 30.

Nordic Ph.D. students in sociology outside of Helsinki can apply for NSA participation support of 100€. The NSA support is reserved to cover a part of the travel/accommodation costs for Ph.D. students who in addition to the pre-conference also take part in the NSA conference, presenting a paper. The support is available to maximum 20 students, 5 from each Nordic country on a first apply, first receive basis. If you are applying for the NSA participation support, include a travel budget in your application. The support will be paid to you after the conference. Detailed instructions will be sent to those who are chosen.

We would also like to draw your attention to the fact that, for the first time, the NSA conference will offer a discounted registration fee for Ph.D. students. The decision about directing support to facilitate the conference participation of PhD students reflects the NSA’s wish to signal to junior scholars that they are seen as valued participants in the NSA community.