Next week, Geoffrey Pleyers, President of the International Sociological Association (ISA) and a scholar of social movements worldwide, with extensive knowledge of both the activist scene and sociological theory, will be visiting Belgrade. His main host will be the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory, with the Sociological Scientific Society of Serbia also joining the programme. On this occasion, several events will be organised, about which we would like to inform you and to which we warmly invite you.
On Monday, 15 June, two lectures will be held at the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory. From 12:00 to 14:00, Karla Henríquez Ojeda, from the Catholic University of Leuven, will give a lecture entitled “Activism, Democracy, and Egosyntony”. On the same day, from 17:00 to 19:00, Geoffrey Pleyers will speak on the topic “Alter-Activism, Ethics and Citizens’ Movements”.
On Tuesday, 16 June, a round table “Sociology in Times of Crisis” will be held at the Faculty of Philosophy in Belgrade, from 10:00 to 12:00, in the Ceremonial Hall (Room 108, first floor). The event is jointly organised by the Sociological Scientific Society of Serbia and the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory.
The aim of the round table is to shed light, through a dialogue between our guest and local sociologists, on the position and role of sociology in the context of the polycrisis we have been experiencing globally in recent years, starting from questions such as: What can sociology say about the rise and consolidation, but also the contestation, undermining and dismantling, of populist and more or less authoritarian regimes, whose new forms are constantly emerging? What are the specific features of the sociological approach to these pressing issues, as distinct from those of political science, economics, history or psychology? Can sociology be said to have a better understanding of social reproduction and social change and, if so, what does this superiority consist of? Furthermore, how does the critical edge of sociological research in our context resonate with the everyday critical practices of social actors themselves, on the one hand, and with global theoretical and research trends, on the other? How do waves of protest, especially among younger generations, which repeatedly emerge in different parts of the world, raise anew the question of the relationship between the local and the global?
In addition to Geoffrey Pleyers, the participants in the discussion will be: Prof. Dr Jelena Pešić, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade; Prof. Dr Ivana Spasić, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Belgrade; Prof. Dr Miloš Jovanović, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Niš; and Dr Suzana Ignjatović, Principal Research Fellow at the Institute of Social Sciences in Belgrade. The discussion will be moderated by Dr Srđan Prodanović, Senior Research Associate at the Institute for Philosophy and Social Theory.