Coordenators:
Paula Urze (Faculty of Science and Technology, NOVA University Lisbon, CIUHCT)
Ana Paula Marques (Institute of Social Sciences, University of Minho, CECS)
Hermes Augusto Costa (University of Coimbra, Faculty of Economics, CES)
Under the overarching theme “Futures in Construction: Sociology in the Public Sphere”, this thematic section invites reflection on the contemporary transformations of work, organizations and professions, linking structural changes to their impacts on the public sphere.
This topic is particularly relevant in a context marked by the intensification of digitalization, the spread of flexible organizational models, and the growing precarization of labour relations. At the same time, these dynamics are reshaping professional identities, regulatory frameworks, and forms of collective action.
Adopting an interdisciplinary perspective - bringing together contributions from the sociology of work, organizations, and social inequalities - this thematic section welcomes submissions addressing, among others, the following dimensions: i) Reconfigurations of work and professions in the face of automation, artificial intelligence, and digital platforms, anticipating possible futures; ii) New forms of precariousness and labour market segmentation, particularly affecting highly qualified young people and workers in emerging sectors; iii) Implications of these transformations for civic participation, collective representation, and the public visibility of labour-related issues.
The thematic section “Work, Organizations and Professions” engages directly with the contemporary challenges identified by the XIV Portuguese Congress of Sociology. It invites the academic community of sociologists, professionals, institutional decision-makers, as well as all those experiencing work-related realities in non-academic contexts, to contribute with reflections, experiences, and research proposals.
Without restricting submission formats (papers, posters, in-person or online presentations), the following thematic areas are suggested:
- Futures of work: towards a workless society?
- Digital work, platformization and (de)regulatio
- New jobs in platform capitalism
- Digitalization, robotization and Artificial Intelligence
- Trade unions: more democracy or more ideology?
- Professional precarization and informal labour
- (Trans)national labour markets, migration flows and unemployment
- Organizational environments in crisis (burnout, harassment, mental health, etc.)
- Public policies and regulatory institutions: contradictions and challenge
- Employment policies and labour regulation
- Labour human rights (right to disconnect, protection of private life, etc.)
- Gender inequalities and ways to overcome them
- Work, citizenship and participation in the public sphere
These topics are not exhaustive; rather, they aim to stimulate plural and interdisciplinary debate on the futures of work. Submissions may include empirical research findings, theoretical and methodological contributions, as well as reflections grounded in professional practice.
We invite the submission of abstract proposals based on academic and non-academic research, including empirical work, theoretical and methodological contributions, as well as reports of professional experiences.
Proposals, in addition to theoretical essays, must be formulated presenting their theoretical framework, objectives, methodologies used, results and conclusions.
Professional contributions can take the form of experience reports, including context, objectives, actors involved, methodologies, activities developed, and key learnings.
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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