Abstract SubmissionAbstract submissions are OPEN. Our 2027 conference takes freedom and hope as its central focus and warmly invites you to reflect on two of the most familiar yet contested ideas in social life. While often spoken of as shared aspirations, freedom and hope are lived and experienced in very different ways. Both can inspire movements for social change and collective flourishing, yet both can also reveal inequalities, exclusions, and competing visions of the future. In a period marked by democratic uncertainty, widening inequalities, technological transformation, geopolitical tensions, and environmental crisis, questions of freedom and hope acquire renewed significance. How are these ideas being redefined in response to profound social change? Who is able to exercise freedom, imagine alternative futures, and act upon them - and under what conditions? Together, we can explore how freedom and hope are shaped and constrained by social structures, institutions, cultures, and everyday practices across diverse national and global contexts. What conditions make freedom possible? How is hope sustained in times of uncertainty and change? Freedom from what, and freedom to do what? Hope for whom, and for what kind of future? We invite contributions that engage with these questions and examine the meanings, limits, and possibilities of freedom and hope in contemporary societies. In doing so, the conference seeks to foster sociological reflection on autonomy, justice, belonging, social change, and the futures that individuals and communities imagine, pursue, and contest. Abstracts are invited from sociologists working in any sub-disciplinary field of study. If you’d be interested in presenting your research at the largest annual gathering of sociologists in the UK, submit your abstract to us by Friday, 11 September 2026. Conference Streams The overarching conference streams are broad representations of the themes and areas of research within Sociology. For logistical and operational reasons we have to limit the number of streams at present. All of the current BSA study groups are included within the listings under the overarching streams. The streams are organic in nature, allowing suggestions for development of the existing streams. At the 2027 Annual Conference, there will be 15 streams, including ‘Emerging Theme and Special Events’. A summary of these streams identifying where each study group currently sits within the existing streams can be found here. If you have any further queries regarding abstract submissions, try our Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) below or contact the BSA Events Team. Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) Will I receive email confirmation of my abstract submission? ˅Your confirmation of submitting your abstract will appear on screen after you have clicked the ‘submit’ button. If you need a copy of this for your records, you should print or save this page. Are papers peer reviewed? ˅Abstracts are reviewed by conference stream coordinators and are anonymously reviewed. However, full papers are not requested nor peer reviewed. Are papers published in conference proceedings? ˅The accepted abstracts are published in the conference programme which will be available online prior to the conference, but we do not currently publish full papers. What is the word limit for abstracts? ˅250 words for Oral, Roundtable, and Poster abstract submissions. 500 words for Special Event submissions. This information is included in the submission guidelines. How many abstracts can I submit? ˅Individuals can submit two papers, plus one proposal as a special event as the main author. How long is my presentation slot? ˅For oral and roundtable presentations your presentation slot is scheduled for 20 minutes - 15 minutes for your presentation and 5 minutes for Q&A. A Chair will be allocated to facilitate your session. Special events are scheduled for 1.5 hours. Poster presentations should be presented throughout the full conference. More information can be found in the submission guidelines Key Dates
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