Coordinators:
Márcia Silva (Universidade da Beira Interior)
Miguel Chaves (NOVA FCSH)
Values, identities and ways of life are central dimensions of sociological analysis, with implications for understanding the present and critically examining possible futures. At a time when the 14th Portuguese Congress of Sociology calls on the discipline to intervene more actively in the public sphere, it is important to consider these dimensions not only as objects of study, but also as entry points for interpreting social tensions, emerging inequalities and different ways of imagining and contesting what comes next.
The contemporary context, marked by political uncertainty, environmental crises, technological acceleration, and economic and geopolitical reconfigurations, has transformed the ways in which people understand themselves, relate to one another and project their expectations. Forms of belonging become more fluid or contested; values may reinforce continuities or precipitate ruptures; ways of life are reorganised in response to unequal opportunities, material constraints, cultural patterns and new digital mediations. Understanding these movements is essential to improving the quality of public debate and to shedding light on processes of collective decision-making, a central purpose of the theme Futures in the Making: Sociology in the Public Sphere.
This thematic area brings together contributions that help us understand how people live and what guides their choices, how they interpret the changes around them, and what narratives they produce about themselves and the world. It seeks to explore the role of values in shaping social expectations; the formation and transformation of individual and collective identities; the ways of life that emerge across different social, generational, territorial or digital spaces; and the relationships between everyday life, citizenship and participation. Particularly relevant are contributions that show how these dimensions engage with public issues and processes of intervention, from public policies to community initiatives, and from professional cultures to cultural and media practices.
We invite proposals based on empirical research, theoretical or methodological analyses, applied studies or professional experiences that contribute to understanding these dynamics in all their diversity. In the assessment process, consideration will be given to the clarity with which the problem is formulated, the suitability of the theoretical framework, the clarity with which methodological choices are set out, and the relevance of the findings or lines of discussion presented.
Proposals must be submitted via the personal area by the deadline specified in the submission guidelines.
Proposals may be submitted in Portuguese, English, Spanish or French.
The maximum length of the abstract is 2,500 characters (excluding spaces).
Evaluation will consider the clarity of objectives, methodological adequacy, relevance of results, and the overall quality of the proposal.
The Congress will take place in person at the Faculty of Economics of the University of Algarve, in Faro, from 23 to 25 March 2027, and may include online sessions on 22 March. At the time of submission, authors must indicate whether they intend to participate in person or online.
All the authors will be invited to submit the full papers for publication in the Congress Proceedings.
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