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Table of Contents
  • GREETINGS FROM THE PRESIDENT
  • CALL FOR PAPERS, ACADEMIC EVENTS AND OTHERS
  • NEW BOOKS, MONOGRAPHS AND RESEARCH PROJECTS
  • NEW PUBLICATIONS BY RC11 MEMBERS (AS SENT TO US BY MEMBERS)

Greetings from the President
Dear RC11 members,
I hope this newsletter finds you well and, as befits our collective mission, ageing well.
That, after all, is the heart of what we do. As a community, we work to equip societies with data, concepts, and practical guidance to build communities where growing
Lucie Vidovicova
older is not merely managed but embraced — for today's older adults, for our parents, for ourselves, and for the generations that will follow us.
And the stakes have never been higher. Many of us are engaged in what may well prove to be a historically unprecedented achievement: the preparation of a legally binding international instrument — a Convention on the Rights of Older Persons. The process has moved from aspiration to drafting, and I believe this is the moment to be present, to contribute, and to make our expertise count. I encourage all of you to engage with the drafting process directly, and to bring the evidence from your research projects to bear on building the robust data foundation that any meaningful global instrument will require.
The negotiation and construction of such a convention is a sociological phenomenon in its own right — one that merits critical, analytical scrutiny. I warmly welcome contributions from those of you who are studying this process, its actors, its tensions, and its potential. It would be great to have it as an entry for the next newsletter and/or as a dedicated session for our upcoming meeting in 2027 (see further info below).
A GENTLE REMINDER: ALL THE VARIANTS OF SOCIAL STUDIES OF AGE AND AGEING
In my previous newsletter, I shared an idea I remain genuinely excited about — and I am trying again, in case it got lost in a busy inbox.
Building on the success of our Presidential Lectures, I am exploring the possibility of launching a follow-up online lecture series to keep these conversations alive and evolving. The working title is "All the Variants of Social Studies of Age and Ageing." My vision is to showcase the many ways in which our community understands, theorises, and researches later life — across contexts, methods, and traditions — something akin to a living library or an evolving handbook of the sociology of age and ageing, shaped collectively by RC11 members.
No one has stepped forward yet, and I understand that everyone is busy. But I genuinely believe this could be something valuable — for our members, for students, and for the field. It needs someone to take ownership of it. If you are interested in leading or co-leading this initiative, or if you would like to contribute a lecture or proposal, please do get in touch. I would love to hear from you.
LOOKING AHEAD: XXI WORLD CONGRESS OF SOCIOLOGY
Global Sociology in Turbulent Times
4-10 July 2027 | Gwangju, Korea
Time moves on — and so do we. I am pleased to announce that preparations for the XXI World Congress of Sociology are now officially underway.
The Congress will take place in Gwangju, a city whose history is inseparable from the Korean people's struggle for democracy — a fitting venue for a gathering committed to understanding turbulent times. Our Korean colleagues on the Local Organising Committee, chaired by Jang Wonho Jang, and the Korean Sociological Association are working to ensure an exceptional setting and a rich dialogue with colleagues from South Korea, East Asia, and across the world.
What you need to know now:
  • The RC11 Call for Sessions will be published in May and remain open until 25 June 2026. I encourage you to prepare strong, diverse session proposals.
  • A call for integrative sessions (proposed jointly by at least 4 RC/WG/TGs, National Associations, and/or Korean Sociological Association Thematic Research Groups connected to the Congress theme) will open by end of May.
  • Registration grants will be managed through the ISA Member Portal from January 2027 onwards. Detailed guidelines will follow.
The Congress theme and full guidelines will be available on the ISA website and circulated to ISA members shortly.
I hope you will think ambitiously about what RC11 can bring to Gwangju — on ageing, rights, data, and the social forces shaping later life in turbulent times. Let us use this moment well.
A NOTE ON MEMBERSHIP — PLEASE RENEW
I want to share a number that I find both encouraging and sobering: RC11 currently has 99 members — around 50 fewer than at the end of 2025. And for approximately 50 of our current members, membership is due to expire at the end of 2026.
To those who have already renewed: thank you. It genuinely matters.
You may be aware that membership numbers directly affect the number of sessions allocated to RC11 at the meetings (Congresses and forums) — which means that every renewal translates directly into more space for our research, our voices, and our community, in Gwangju and beyond. Renewing is simple and its impact is real. Please do get in touch if you need any assistance with the process.
There is much to do, and I am glad to be doing it alongside all of you.
With best wishes and warm regards,
Lucie Vidovicova
RC 11 President
vidovicova@fss.muni.cz

Call for papers, academic events and others

Call for nominations for the Zetterberg’s Prize in Sociology


The deadline is on May 26th.
Call for Nominations – Faculty of Social Sciences – Uppsala University

Call for papers for the mid-term conference of ISA RC41 Sociology of Population

Population Dynamics in the Global North and the Global South: Age structural transitions, migration, and changing places. Madrid, Spain, September 10-11, 2026.
Abstracts: April 30, 2026.
https://www.isa-sociology.org/uploads/imgen/2445-cfp-rc41-midterm-conference-madrid-september-2026.pdf

New books, monographs and research projects


Book

My Journey of Faith: How is yours?
A. L. Sinikka Dixon (2025).
Sinikka Dixon is Professor Emerita of Sociology, who has developed a Life Cycle Theory she presents in the book, The Fabric of Your Life: The Five Cycles of Change. With this new book she wants to show the way to a personal, “Living Faith,” based on her own Journey of Faith, inviting you to consider yours.
More information


Monograph


“Old Age Between Personal Experience and Social Representation: From Enlightenment Thought to Modern Attitudes”
Edited by Dragica Čeč and Urška Bratož
The monograph examines ageing as a historically and culturally contingent phenomenon. The volume shifts attention away from predominantly medicalized understandings of old age and instead foregrounds its social, cultural, and experiential dimensions. The seven chapters analyse diverse sources (including personal diaries, administrative records, health manuals, visual art, and contemporary literature) to explore how old age has been constructed and interpreted across different historical contexts. Particular attention is given to issues such as poverty, social status, moral regulation, ageism, and institutional care, as well as to the strategies individuals employ in negotiating later life.
The monograph is available in open access at this link


Research project Digi4Age
Digi4Age logo
Europe’s ageing population and rapid digitalization are reshaping society, yet they are often treated as separate challenges. Supported by the Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions programme, the Digi4Age project sees them as interconnected. By training doctoral researchers, Digi4Age is building a new generation of leaders equipped to design
inclusive, tech-driven solutions for ageing societies. Its programme explores how digital tools can support health, preserve identity, adapt to lifelong habits, and promote social inclusion. Drawing on expertise from top universities and civil society actors across nine countries, Digi4Age addresses key UN goals (health, equality, and decent work), while aligning with Europe’s Digital and Healthy Ageing Decades.
The consortium: LUT University, Finland (Project Coordinator). University Rey Juan Carlos, Spain. Open University of the Netherlands, Netherlands. Lithuanian Center for Social Sciences, Lithuania. Karl Landsteiner University, Austria. Dortmund University, Institute of Sociology, Germany.
More information

New publications by RC11 members (as sent to us by members)


New articles or book chapters
RC-11 enquiries can be sent via email to isa-rc11@isa-sociology.org
ISA RC11 logo
PRESIDENT
Lucie Vidovićová, Masaryk University, Czech Republic
VICE-PRESIDENTS
Myra Hamilton, University of New South Wales, Australia
TREASURER
Jolante Perek-Bialas, Jagiellonian University, Poland
SECRETARY
Francisca Ortiz Ruiz, Millennium Institute for Care Research, Chile
COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER
Vera Gallistl, Karl Landsteiner University for Health Sciences, Austria
OFFICERS AT LARGE
Ronica Rooks, University of Colorado Denver, USA
Matthew Lariviere, Northumbria University, UK
Gražina Rapolienė, Lithuanian Centre for Social Sciences, Lithuania
Otto Gerdina, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
Yasemin Afacan, Bilkent University, Turkey
Arvind Joshi, Banaras Hindu University, India
Esteban Calvo, Director CalvoLab & University Mayor, Chile
Eric Vogelsang, California State University, San Bernardino, USA
Christine Armstrong Mair, University of Maryland Baltimore County, USA
Bussarawan Puk Teerawichitchainan, National University of Singapore, Singapore
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