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Thanks to Ben Jann and Katja Lozar-Manfreda
SSA Congress 2012
Congress of the Swiss Sociological Association
June 26 – 28, 2013 at the University of Bern
Inequality and Integration in Times of Crisis
http://www.sgs-kongress2013.unibe.ch
Since Karl Marx first described the enormous social inequalities and their
potential
for social change at the beginning of industrialization in the 19th century, the
origins,
extent, and consequences of social inequality, as well the level of inequality
which a
society is willing to tolerate, have been major themes in sociology. Our
discipline has
taken on the theme of inequality in multiple areas ranging from research on
unequal
educational and labor market opportunities, unequal income distributions, gender
and health inequality, and inequality in life expectancy, to mention only a few.
There
are innumerable national and international conferences devoted to these themes.
Do we need yet another one? Is inequality still a problem in our society?
The answer to this question is undoubtedly yes. In particular, the economic
crisis
at the start of the 21st century underlines the fact that the theme of
inequality has
not lost its relevance. Above all, the European debt crisis inclines us to
suspect that
social inequality is growing. In comparison with economic boom times, almost all
the European countries feel the pressure of stabilizing their economies and
cutting
back on public expenditures. This will also impact redistributional policies to
reduce
inequality and bring about new challenges for integration policies addressing
the
emerging disparities. At the same time as inequalities within European societies
are exacerbated, disparities between states are also rising, which will likely
have
adverse effects on European unification, not to mention creating new challenges
for
Switzerland as well.
The European debt crisis came at a point in time when global environmental
and demographic problems worsened simultaneously – the aging of industrialized
countries and population explosion in developing countries. The inequality
effects
of climate change and the unequal distribution of population growth will lead to
an increase in migration and elevate the immigration pressure on the European
Union and Switzerland. For this reason, Switzerland, as well as the other
European
countries, grapple with questions of managing migration and integration.
Inequalities – as problematic they may be – are also in some sense an
opportunity.
They increase the diversity of society and can bring about new ideas,
innovation,
and growth. Our desire and ability for social integration depends, above all, on
the ultimate balance between these advantages and disadvantages. Within the
framework of the various foci of the research committees, the conference will
concentrate on the opportunities as well as the risks associated with these
social
changes.
Information
Further information about the conference can be found on our homepage:
www.sgs-kongress2013.unibe.ch
Organizing Committee
Members of the Institute of Sociology at the University of Bern
• Prof. Dr. Axel Franzen
• Prof. Dr. Ben Jann
• Prof. Dr. Christian Joppke
and the executive committee of the Swiss Sociological Association.
Contact and Administration
Sabrina Schüpbach
Assistant Conference Manager
Institute of Sociology
SSA Congress 2013
Lerchenweg 36
CH-3012 Bern
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