Greetings! I am delighted to welcome you to the 118th Annual Meeting of the American Sociological Association (ASA) in Philadelphia, the cradle city of U.S. democracy. Our theme this year is “The Educative Power of Sociology,” which I chose for multiple reasons. First, it highlights the power of education as a major social institution and landscape; and second, it draws our attention to the utility of educative processes that sustain and enhance our discipline—whose very existence deepens understanding about society on many levels.
In today’s era of economic, social, and political divisions, sociology has a unique role to play in shaping policies and practices that address society’s complex problems. I treasure how our discipline has made significant contributions to research, teaching, and practice about the economic, political, cultural, and social realities of our world. I want to love it more for its future contributions to the expansion of theories, concepts, policies, and practices that would help to ameliorate the numerous social problems that communities around the globe face.
As in prior years, our August meeting is replete with rich offerings. It will bring together scholars from diverse fields and countries to discuss, debate, and collaborate. I believe that social science comprises an interdependent ecology of knowledge generation and shaping of policy and practice. Tackling complex and challenging issues requires diverse solutions that come from many different angles. That’s why I’m thrilled to kick off our Annual Meeting with a lively conversation among some of the brightest minds, including special guests from sociology, anthropology, economics, education, law, political science, and beyond. By bringing together such a diverse group of experts, we can start exploring new ideas and approaches that might just help us make some progress on these thorny issues. In another plenary, we will hear from sociologists who span professional boundaries moving back and forth among academic, policy, and public service.
What an extraordinary year I’ve had working alongside colleagues to plan our Annual Meeting. Kudos and deep gratitude to this year’s Program Committee members, including Andy Andrews (University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill); Bailey Brown (Spelman College); Cynthia Feliciano (Washington University); Neda Maghbouleh (University of Toronto); Roslyn Mickelson (University of North Carolina, Charlotte); Vice-President Mignon Moore (Barnard), Ellis Monk (Harvard), Dina Okamoto (Indiana, Bloomington); Rebecca Romo (Santa Monica College); and David Takeuchi (University of Washington)! Also, I appreciate the strong guidance and support of ASA Meeting Services Director Michelle Randall; Executive Director Nancy Kidd; and the many other wonderful staff at ASA.
We couldn’t have done it without the help of generous colleagues and volunteers, so a big thank you to all of you who planned sessions, as well. We have put our hearts and minds into planning hundreds of plenaries, panels, workshops, and receptions to make sure that you have an enriching experience. We hope that you will be deeply stimulated by your interactions and discussions, as we work together to deepen the educative power of our discipline.
Please enjoy the conference and take some time to explore the historic “City of Brotherly Love” while you are here!
