Schedule

Anti-Islamophobia Subcommittee

In our call for presentations, the CSA-AIS team noted that while the 2025 Congress theme is Reframing Togetherness, "Togetherness presumes mutuality. But how is mutuality—a condition of togetherness—possible in times of genocide? The enduring legacies of coloniality and the racial structures that uphold them persistently render some of us as fully human, while others are deemed 'nonhuman or not-quite-human' (Weheliye 2014)." As Sylvia Wynter reminds us, what and who is (narratively) erased in these calls for togetherness? Who is the 'we' that 'we' are appealing to? In this session, presenters underscore how intersectional analyses and approaches can reveal, and counter, the dis/continuities of multiple (co-constitutive) systems of oppression. Through their critical research on (gendered) Islamophobia, anti-Black racism, (settler-)colonialism, and multiple forms of racism and oppression, and drawing from research that is personal and collective, local and global, presenters reframe (the call for) togetherness in a time of multiple genocides, and in contexts that uphold these systems of oppression, while simultaneously urging 'togetherness.' Session Organizers: Nadiya Ali, Trent University Ayesha Mian Akram, University of Calgary Lucy El-Sherif, McMaster University Leila Benhadjouja, University of Ottawa Muna Saleh, Concordia University Session Chair: Nadiya Ali, Trent University

Criminology and Criminal Justice Research Cluster

Understanding policing is an important aspect for social researchers and there is a wide variety of perspectives on policing and policing research. This panel seeks to take the temperature on contemporary studies of police and policing conducted on policing in Canada and elsewhere. There has been a rich tradition of policing research in Canada going back several decades and the state of research around the world demonstrates substantial differences in access. These studies, and the scholars conducting them, have had lasting impact on the state of policing researcher in both Canada and abroad. However, there have also been various complications over the decades conducting research on the police. The days of police services simply refusing to allow researchers access to the inner workings of the institution appear to be gone in Canada; however, there remain barriers to policing research. Outside of Canada, barriers can take different forms. In addition, there are important questions about what kind of relationship(s) researchers can have, or even should have, with police services, particularly when policing agencies and researchers perceive to be at odds. In many areas, there remain layers of bureaucracy impeding the research process. Contributors to this panel will reflect on the experience of conducting research around policing, and consider the future policing research. Session Organizers and Chairs: Tanya Trussler, Mount Royal University Patrick Watson, University of Toronto

Environmental Sociology Research Cluster

Papers in this open call for environmental sociology investigate issues of discourse and power; justice and the environment, social policy and guiding theoretical frameworks, managing environmental change, and addressing inequalities connected with the environment. Grassroots groups, corporate actions, governance decisions, and aspects of race, class, and gender are addressed by papers in these open sessions. Session Organizer: Tyler Bateman, University of New Mexico

Gender and Sexuality Research Cluster

Schools occupy a controversial site in the production of gender and sexuality. Though schools ostensibly exist to deliver an academic education, their formal and hidden curricula play a key role in the production of gender and sexuality. At the same time, schools constitute an organizational site where stakeholders collaborate, clash, and collide to shape gender and sexual ideologies, reflecting debates in the broader social world. This panel engages scholarship on various stakeholders across multiple educational contexts to consider schools as a site for reinforcing and challenging gendered and sexual hierarchies. Session Organizer and Chair: Lacey Bobier, University of Toronto

Indigenous-Settler Relations and Decolonization Research Cluster

The research landscape for sociologists in Canada is changing with a larger emphasis being placed on the way that research is done with and within communities. Increasingly, researchers are called to attend to the specific needs of community in grant applications, research proposals, and peer reviewed publications and to incorporate community voices and perspectives into their research (Kovatch 2021; Wilson 2001). The days where researchers worked from a distance making claims about a group of people seem to be almost over. However, the concept of community has a long and problematic genealogy in sociology with the bonds between members of community labeled mechanical and sociologists arguing communities share a singular consciousness or set of beliefs (Durkheim 1893). For those of us doing community-based research this sort of uniformity has been proven empirically invalid. Yet the turn toward community in sociological research raises important questions about the very nature of the communities we work with, the problems of dissent and disagreement within the communities we study, and the promises and perils of community-based research for almost every branch of our discipline. This panel features papers with a community-based research methodology focus. Session Organizers: Dean Ray, York University Angele Alook, York University Jeffrey Denis, McMaster University

Migration/Immigration

This session features research relating to migration and immigration. Session Organizer: Sherry Fox, Canadian Sociological Association Session Chair: Shreyashi Ganguly, York University

Research Advisory Subcommittee
Register to attend

This workshop, led by MediaSmarts, a non-profit community-based organization, will explore the possibilities and challenges related to communicating research beyond the academy. In contexts such as sharing research online, submitting funding proposals, or producing research that impacts policy, industry, and the broader public, researchers need to present their work to non-research audiences. However, the skills required to do so are not always explicitly discussed or available to researchers in the academy. In its centering of the research-to-resource model, MediaSmarts - Canada's centre for digital media literacy - is uniquely positioned as an organization that regularly engages in communicating research for social impact within the research sector and beyond. In this session, MediaSmarts will speak to its knowledge mobilization work with a wide variety of audiences, including community organizations, education experts, policymakers, corporations and industry, violence against women and healthcare professionals, as well as a large network of teachers, parents, caregivers, and youth. MediaSmarts will share experiences, approaches, and lessons learned, from three projects that represent different audiences and stages of communicating research beyond the academy: Moving On: Digital Empowerment and Literacy Skills for Survivors From Access to Engagement: Building a Digital Media Literacy Strategy for Canada Artificial Intelligence in Pediatric Healthcare, with The Toronto Hospital for Sick Children MediaSmarts’ experts will speak to the needs of non-research audiences (e.g. government officials and policymakers) including what they look for when research is communicated to them, how research can support community organizations as they serve equity-deserving groups, and best practices for engaging the public through social campaigns. Finally, the session will end with an interactive activity in which attendees (including early, mid and late career researchers) will use their current or past work and find ways to communicate three key messages or findings to a chosen non-research audience. Conference delegates must sign up in advance to attend this workshop. Session Organizers and Facilitators: Kara Brisson-Boivin, MediaSmarts Khadija Baig, MediaSmarts Vanessa Turyatunga, MediaSmarts

Sociology of Culture Research Cluster

Presentations in this session analyze creative work from a sociological perspective. By bringing together sociological insights derived from an array off creative fields, this session highlights leading theories in the sociology of creativity that emphasize the inequalities, rituals, and routines of creative work. Session Organizers: Taylor Price, New York University Sonia Bookman, University of Manitoba

Sociology of Childhood and Youth Research Cluster

This session is intended to explore how children and youth are participating in their life worlds for social impact. It aspires to do so through a particular conceptualization for children and youth participation as unfolding in a relational manner. Presentations in this session will explore how both young people and adult gatekeepers conceptualize participation in a variety of settings. These presentations will illuminate both children and youth’s experiences with and best practices for understanding, supporting, and advancing their participatory rights. Session Organizers: Dustin Ciufo, King’s University College at Western University Madison Moore, Trent University Laurel Donison, King’s University College at Western University Christine Goodwin-De Faria, Trent University Session Chairs: Christine Goodwin-De Faria, Trent University and Madison Moore, Trent University

Sociology of Mental Health Research Cluster

Increasingly scholars and activists are challenging medicalized understandings of mental health and well-being and investigating the implications for identity negotiation, the provision of services and supports and for wider political and social activism. This session features papers that adopt critical sociological, intersectional and Mad Studies approaches to understanding mental health in the context of diagnostic regimes, university settings, private industry influence and the broader social and structural inequities that shape the uptake of mental health labels and societal responses. This diverse set of papers is meant to spark dialogue and discussion about the ways in which critical social science and Mad studies approaches can inform theory, policy and practice across multiple sectors. Session Organizers: Marina Morrow, York University Simon Adam, York University Session Chair: Marina Morrow, York University

Social Theory Cluster

“Charisma” and “populism” can be said to be features that erupt from of a common moral-cultural substrate—just described from different vantage points. Charisma theory seeks to understand the conditions of possibility for the emergence of extraordinary leaders who can have a transformative impact on the societies that they inhabit. Populism, by contrast, focusses on “the people” for whom such leaders often come to be regarded as an emblematic symbol and vehicle for change. The connection between these two elements—leader and people—is thus intimate. Despite this complementarity, “charisma” and “populism” remain somewhat distinct in both contemporary theory and in the evidence bases that we accumulate. The aim of this session is to provoke deeper conversation between charisma theory and populism studies, welcoming attempts at synthesis and/or case studies that display (or disconfirm) the usefulness of “charismatic populism” as an analytic. Session Organizer and Chair: Paul Joosse, University of Hong Kong

Social Event

Join us in the Greeting Table Room for light refreshments and to network with other delegates. Canadian Sociological Association Conference delegates only

Anti-Islamophobia Subcommittee
Bilingual

The study of Islamophobia constitutes a significant area of research in the sociology of racism. Yet, francophone academic circles and political environments exhibit a remarkable lack of willingness to engage with this issue. While the rhetoric of Islamophobia denial is constitutive of Islamophobic discourse, it is important to question the socio-political narratives that underpin this denial. Among these, there is one that presents Francophone spaces as a distinction and singularity, both geographical and political, as in the case of Quebec. This panel will feature research and discussions that challenge this perceived uniqueness, examining topics such as representation, the Francophonie, and secular nationalism. Additionally, the impact of gender-based Islamophobia, especially on Muslim women, will be examined. Session Organizers: Nadiya Ali, Trent University Ayesha Mian Akram, University of Calgary Lucy El-Sherif, McMaster University Leila Benhadjouja, University of Ottawa Muna Saleh, Concordia University Session Chair: Leila Benhadjouja, University of Ottawa

Work, Professions and Occupations Research Cluster
Black Caucus

This session will delve into the evolving employment scenarios for Black Canadians, focusing on the significant role of social and cultural capital across generational statuses, influenced by immigration policies and educational attainments. By exploring how African, Caribbean, and Black (ACB) communities transition from education to the workforce, gain access to employment, navigate professional environments, and ascend in their careers, this session will discuss the social mobility for ACB and other racialized groups.ACB communities face distinct challenges in the job market which often include limited access to influential networks, workplace sponsors, and mentors, alongside persistent biases within employment settings which underscores the complexities of race, social networks, education, and employment outcomes. These issues present important tensions that require unpacking from interdisciplinary perspective - from sociology, educational studies, migration studies, and labor research among others - this session aims to offer an opportunity to engage in purposeful discussion on how social capital is being taken up in ACB communities and folks navigating towards their education and career aspirations. The session will include research-based paper presentations focusing on the role of social and cultural capital in the lives of Black Canadians. Presentations will be followed by a structured discussion aimed at addressing shared questions about emerging tensions and identifying forward-looking strategies to facilitate engagement with the themes from the papers, encouraging collaborative exploration and dialogue. Session Organizer and Chair: Anika Forde, York University

Criminology and Criminal Justice Research Cluster

This session will feature research that explores policing practices and community wellness. Existing challenges surrounding the themes of policing, community, safety, inclusion, diversity, and social problems will be further discussed. We welcome all research submissions in relation to these themes. Session Organizers and Chairs: Doug Thomson, Humber College Emma Smith, Humber College

Critical Sociology of Families, Work and Care Research Cluster

Paid employment and unpaid labour are interconnected life domains that influence individual well-being, family dynamics, and social inequalities. Emerging changes in paid work, such as the rise of gig economy, unpredictable schedules, and remote work, have introduced new opportunities and challenges to family life. This session features papers that examine how diverse work arrangements influence patterns and experiences of unpaid work, particularly with respect to domestic labour. We especially encouraged research investigating various dimensions of paid work—including schedules, location, and autonomy among others—and their impact on domestic responsibilities, such as housework, parenting, and childcare. The research featured in this session will foster dialogue on how policies and organizational practices can support work-family justice and drive broader social impact. Session Organizers and Chairs: Manlin Cai, University of British Columbia Sylvia Fuller, University of British Columbia

Sociology of Disability Research Cluster
Sociology of Health Research Cluster

Canadian and international studies continue to demonstrate that people with disabilities, especially women, gender diverse people with disabilities (see Aguillard et al., 2022, Matin et al., 2021; Nguyen, 2020) and disabled people living with severe, multiple and/or complex disabilities, face exponential barriers to accessing the healthcare they need (see Sakellariou and Rotarou, 2017, Gréaux et al. 2023). While inaccessible healthcare has been well documented, this body of literature often groups people with disabilities as a whole, erasing the specific experiences of those at the intersections of multiple systems of oppression. Healthcare, as a social institution, is embedded in complex power dynamics at interpersonal and structural levels that shape access and quality of care for those labelled disabled (see Fitts and Soldatic, 2024). As states a rapidly adopt new technologies to rationalize healthcare spending - AI, wearables, telehealth, digital platforms - there is an urgent need to understand existing inequities and qualitative nascent inequities for disability healthcare accessibility and disabled people’s long-term wellbeing. Drawing upon disability gendered sociological understandings of wellbeing, inclusion and accessibility, this session seeks to bring into dialogue papers that engage with core issues and concerns emerging as public health institutions undergo radical practices of rationalization. Session Organizers: Valérie Grand'Maison, University of Guelph Karen Soldatic, Toronto Metropolitan University

Gender and Sexuality Research Cluster

This panel explores the possibilities and pitfalls of the law that aims to bring protection — and justice — in cases of gender-based violence. Feminist scholarship on criminal law has shown that the institutional context that includes, but is not limited to, the broader political currents such as neoliberalism as well as the rise of digital media and widely accepted cultural ideas about gender, sexuality, and violence, conditions the praxis of law, and informs, the way in which the criminal justice system handles cases of gender-based violence. This panel will address ongoing debates around the efficacy of laws, institutional mechanisms, and recent legal reforms for ensuring justice for victim-survivors of sexual assault, intimate partner violence, and homicide in the 21st century. Panelists will present cutting-edge research on institutional and legal responses to sexual and intimate partner violence as well as their implications for victim-survivors and gender rights advocates in different national contexts. Session Organizer and Chair: Tuğçe Ellialtı-Köse, University of Guelph

Indigenous-Settler Relations and Decolonization Research Cluster

Since 2018, our multidisciplinary research team, including Indigenous and settler scholars, has worked collaboratively to study the dynamics of long-term Indigenous-settler alliance-building unfolding in the Canadian context. Our focus has been on exploring how such alliances develop, endure, and change over time. Using interviews, sharing circles, and document review, and drawing upon Indigenous methodologies and anti-colonial research principles, we investigated three case studies which provide the ground of our analyses: (1) The Right to Belong: Indigenous women’s organizing and the struggle to eliminate gender discrimination in the Indian Act (led by Dawn Lavell-Harvard and Lynne Davis); (2) Shoal Lake 40 First Nation’s Freedom Road campaign to end a century of state-imposed geographic isolation and to secure access to safe drinking water (led by Jeff Denis); and (3) the alliance-building and solidarity activism of the inter-church social justice organization KAIROS Canada (led by Chris Hiller). This panel will include brief presentations on each case, as well as a cross-case analysis that brings forward key findings that come from the convergences of the three case studies. We emphasize the connective tissue that forms and sustains alliance relationships over time. We also highlight the dynamics of Indigenous and settler leadership, strategic planning, (un)learning, and the breaking and healing of alliance relationships. We introduce two analytic tools that can be used to understand Indigenous-settler alliance building: the conceptual tool of relationality and spectral analysis. We conclude by commenting on the implications of these findings for imagining future directions of Indigenous-settler alliance building. Session Organizers: Lynne Davis, Trent University Jeffrey Denis, McMaster University Chris Hiller, Renison College - University of Waterloo Dawn Lavell-Harvard, Trent University

Internet, Technology, and Digital Sociology Research Cluster

Life in the time of smart phones and artificial intelligence seems to present a range of unique social problems, as well as new elaborations of existing problems. Whether framed as changes in micro interactions or reconfigurations of social structures, there is an open question as to whether new theories are required to understand these phenomena. Alternatively, some sociologists have been using classical theoretical concepts and traditions in new ways to understand digital society. Session Organizers and Chairs: Michael Christensen, Carleton University David Toews, Public Scholar

Work, Professions and Occupations Research Cluster

This session features research relating to work, economy and capitalism. Session Organizer: Sherry Fox, Canadian Sociological Association Session Chair: Konstantin Petoukhov, Carleton University

Sociology of Culture Research Cluster

Presentations in this session analyze the relationships between symbols, cultural consumption, identity construction, and relationality. By bringing together diverse methodological and theoretical approaches, this session highlights the social processes that mutually constitute culture, identity, and sociality. Session Organizers: Taylor Price, New York University Sonia Bookman, University of Manitoba

Sociology of Childhood and Youth Research Cluster

This session is intended to explore how children and youth are participating in their life worlds for social impact. It aspires to do so through a particular conceptualization for children and youth participation as unfolding in a relational manner. Scholars in this session have taken up this relational conception of children and youth participation in their analysis of social media activism, girls Instagram feminism, the exercise of agency and resistance by young girls to dress codes and a children’s advocacy-centred workshop event. The process of doing so can illuminate both children and youth’s experiences with and best practices for understanding, supporting, and advancing their participatory rights. Session Organizers: Dustin Ciufo, King’s University College at Western University Madison Moore, Trent University Laurel Donison, King’s University College at Western University Christine Goodwin-De Faria, Trent University Session Chairs: Dustin Ciufo, King’s University College at Western University and Laurel Donison, King’s University College at Western University

Sociology of Mental Health Research Cluster

Mental health plays a crucial role in the well-being of intimate relationships, marriages, and families. This session will explore the intersection of mental health and family dynamics, focusing on the importance of mental well-being in family life. Topics may include parenthood, the work-family interface, and any other stressors related to intimate partnerships, marriage, and the family. Session Organizers: Atsushi Narisada, Saint Mary's University Ruth Repchuck, McMaster University Session Chair: Ruth Repchuck, McMaster University

Social Theory Cluster

While classic sociological debates live on as allegiances to great names and in introductory sociology classes under heuristic but misleading labels (conflict theory, structural-functionalism, etc.), contemporary sociological debates are not always easy to identify, at least not by reading the published record of peer reviewed work. This session features papers that lay out contemporary sociological theory debates, including those that may be eluding widespread awareness, and make the case for their importance to sociological theory and practice. Session Organizer and Chair: Jesse Carlson, Acadia University

Criminology and Criminal Justice Research Cluster

The Criminology and Criminal Justice Research Cluster would like to welcome everyone to our annual meeting, which is open to scholars, practitioners, and students who are engaged in the study of crime, criminology, criminal justice, policing, law, penology, or related subjects. The cluster meeting provides an opportunity to connect all those interested in research in criminology and criminal justice. This meeting is open to anyone who might benefit from joining our membership or anyone simply interested in the field in general. Session Organizer: Tanya Trussler, Mount Royal University

Sociology of Culture Research Cluster

The Sociology of Culture Research Cluster meeting is open to current members and those interested in learning more about our cluster activities. Attendees will have an opportunity to network with others working in this field of research and/or teaching. We welcome feedback on our current activities and encourage suggestions for future initiatives. The research cluster will provide an institutional base within the CSA for this growing area of research, help coordinate Sociology of Culture panels at the annual conference of the CSA, and reach out to scholars working in related fields and disciplines. We have established a mailing list to connect cultural sociologists in Canada and abroad, and to aid in the dissemination of research within the scholarly community. Session Organizers: Taylor Price, New York University Sonia Bookman, University of Manitoba

Sociology of Mental Health Research Cluster

The Sociology of Mental Health Research Cluster meeting is open to current members and those interested in learning more about our cluster activities. Attendees will have an opportunity to network with others working in this field of research and/or teaching. We welcome feedback on our current activities and encourage suggestions for future initiatives. Bring your lunch! Session Organizers: Atsushi Narisada, Saint Mary's University Ruth Repchuck, McMaster University

Applied and Community Engaged Sociology Cluster

In a time of increased austerity, stratification, authoritarianism, and skepticism of what value sociology brings to the world, public sociology holds a more important role than ever in resisting oppression and the continued attacks on the social sciences. Research for social impact demands more than academic rigour; it requires active partnerships with academics, students, communities, governments, and not-for-profit organizations. This session showcases both completed and in-progress projects that illustrate evolving methodologies, pedagogies, strategies, and politics necessary to conduct sociology with communities rather than for them. Presenters will explore research addressing pressing social issues such as homelessness, intimate partner violence, gender-based violence, poverty, and forced displacement through applied case studies that foster meaningful change and shared ownership of research. Discussions will offer insights into reimagining traditional methods, applying adaptive pedagogies, and navigating complex challenges like power dynamics, intersectionality, communication barriers, and ethical considerations. Emphasizing practical techniques for fostering trust and reciprocity, this session highlights actionable strategies to collaborate with non-academic partners at every phase of research, from design through data collection, analysis, and dissemination. By fostering knowledge exchange, this session provides attendees with insights into building inclusive, impactful sociological practices that bridge academic work with community needs to position sociology as a driver of social change. Scholars, practitioners, and students are invited to reflect on sociology’s evolving role and explore ways to commit sociology to achieve tangible benefits for society beyond the ivory tower. Session Organizers: Andrea DeKeseredy, University of Alberta Amy Peirone, St. Clair College Kyle Jackson, St. Clair College Session Chair: Kyle Jackson, St. Clair College

The 2024 Prix d'excellence en sociologie de langue française recognizes outstanding books and articles published in French that contribute to the advancement of knowledge about a social phenomenon or sociological thought in Canada. The presentations will be held in English. This plenary session will feature two 2024 recipients of this award presenting; Jules Pector-Lallemand; Tip: Restaurant Workers, Their Lifestyle, and the Existential Dilemma Dr. Nicolas Sallée; What is left of paternalism: Youth criminal justice in the 21st century Moderator: Mark C.J. Stoddart, Memorial University

Criminology and Criminal Justice Research Cluster

This session examines the intersections of policing, labour, and pacification in capitalist societies, focusing on the broader role of policing in regulating and disciplining labour to secure capitalist accumulation. Pacification, as Rigakos defines it, involves “the processes that secure capitalist accumulation through the organization and discipline of populations” (2016). Policing, therefore, is not limited to law enforcement but includes economic functions that manage labour, ensuring its productivity and compliance. These practices may include surveillance, the regulation of urban spaces, the policing of workplace behavior, and the control of dissent—all designed to prevent disruptions and maintain the conditions necessary for the continuous flow of capital. By shaping the spaces and behaviors of workers, policing helps to reinforce labour’s subordination to capitalist imperatives. This session aims to deepen our understanding of how policing operates as a tool of economic and social control, ensuring the ongoing subordination of labour to capitalist needs. Session Organizers and Chairs: Wendy Chan, Simon Fraser University George Rigakos, Carleton University

Sociology of Disability Research Cluster

Societal norms often marginalize or erase disabled people’s experiences with gender and sexuality, reflecting ableist, heteronormative, and cisnormative structures. However, disabled people continue to assert their right to express gender and sexuality on their own terms, challenging these oppressive norms and bringing attention to the limitations of traditional frameworks. This session invites scholars to examine the intersections of disability, gender, and sexualities, exploring how disabled people experience, challenge, and reshape societal expectations. By centering disability in conversations about gender and sexualities, this session aims to expand our understanding of identity, embodiment, and desire. Highlighting the rich and complex experiences at the intersections of disability, gender, and sexualities, this session also seeks to broaden our sociological understandings while fostering conversations that challenge ableist and cis-heteronormative structures. Session Organizers: Alan Martino, University of Calgary Thomas Tri, University of Calgary Eleni Moumos, University of Calgary

Gender and Sexuality Research Cluster

The presentations in this session explore research relating to sexual cultures. Session Organizers and Chairs: Toby Anne Finlay, York University Chris Tatham, University of Guelph

Environmental Sociology Research Cluster
Indigenous-Settler Relations and Decolonization Research Cluster

This session will explore the climate futures of Indigenous Peoples, both the impact of climate change on Indigenous communities and the responses of Indigenous Peoples to climate change. On July 3rd, 2021, a wildfire in the Interior of British Columbia destroyed the village of Lytton and prompted the evacuation of the nearby Lytton First Nation. In the weeks before the fire, Lytton endured the hottest temperatures ever recorded in Canada. Climate scientists agreed the fire was the result of anthropogenic climate change. The case of Lytton First Nation raises important questions for all Indigenous communities in Canada with the survival of Indigenous Communities increasingly threatened by anthropogenic climate change. Yet for Indigenous Peoples, the risk extends beyond the destruction of their infrastructure and dwellings, to their cultures, languages, economies, and territories. The transformation of the land brought about by climate change will have lasting effects on almost every aspect of Indigenous life. Yet, Indigenous Peoples have complex and nuanced understandings of the land and might be best placed to understand and respond to the effects of climate change on their territories, mitigating CO2 emissions, and benefiting not only themselves but also enriching Canada’s response to climate change. Moreover, given their traditional ecological knowledge (TEK), Indigenous Communities might be best placed to combat climate change and create resilient climate futures. The structures of settler-colonialism present daunting barriers to our collective climate futures. What might an Indigenous climate future look like? Session Organizers: Dean Ray, York University Angele Alook, York University Jeffrey Denis, McMaster University

Internet, Technology, and Digital Sociology Research Cluster

This session explores the multifaceted sociological dimensions of generative AI, focusing on how these technologies might interact with human behaviour, societal norms, and the organization of work and leisure. Session Organizers: Alex Miltsov, Bishop's University Muyang Li, York University Zhifan Luo, McMaster University Session Chair: Alex Miltsov, Bishop's University

Political Sociology and Social Movements Research Cluster

What does collective care look and feel like when co-creating beloved community across campus and local communities? Colonial carceral systems prioritize wealth and capital accumulation, reconstructing Indigenous, Black, Muslim, Palestinian, disabled and queer communities as either sources of exploitable labour to render land productive, or unwelcome unproductive occupiers of potentially “productive” land (Hayes & Kaba, 2023; Smith, 1999). Further, these systems violently extract so-called resources from our Earth Mother, resulting in the climate crisis and vast wounds across land and water (Alook et al., 2003). Refusing (settler) colonial narratives that say it is too late to change course (Veracini, 2006), ACT UP practices hope as “a discipline” (Kaba, 2021: 68), working together across Black, Muslim, Palestinian, disabled, unhoused, and queer communities for co-liberation rooted in radical love, care, and thriving (Figueroa, 2020; Hayes & Kaba, 2023; King, 1956). Building on previous arts-based research with students which enacted collective care and love to realize safety, wellbeing and justice for all (King, 1968), ACT UP (Action, Co-liberation, Truth, Unconditional Love and Pride): (i) identifies priorities for decolonizing and abolitionist collective care, (ii) builds capacity to address them, and (iii) takes action. Through 7 knowledge/capacity/community-building Teach-Ins, including “The Land Is Our Mother,” “We Are the Seeds: Food Justice and Liberation,” and “Free Palestine, Free Us All,” we are strengthening beloved community in the process of learning and acting together. This workshop will share our learning to date, invite participants to share experiences of collective care and world-building, and co-create beloved community within CSA that extends far beyond the conference itself. Session Organizers: Lesley Bikos, King's University College at Western University Jess Notwell, Western University

Sociology of Culture Research Cluster

This session explores the reciprocal relationship between culture, place, and social life. Presentations will consider the links between social identities, public places, and cultural change. Session Organizers: Taylor Price, New York University Sonia Bookman, University of Manitoba

Sociology of Childhood and Youth Research Cluster

How do we understand childhood and youth? How do children and youth understand themselves? This session poses questions about representations of childhood and youth. Insofar as childhood and youth are nominally indexed to age, time is intimately connected with understanding them. How do different ways of approaching time change how childhood and youth are understood? Similarly, childhood and youth are positions within networks of relations. How does changing or rethinking the network of relations in which children and youth are positioned change how they are understood? Representations of childhood and youth are conveyed through many modalities (speech, text, images, practices, etc.). What and how can we learn about childhood and youth, reading across these textualities? The papers in this session use a variety of methods to offer answers to these questions. Session Organizers: Hunter Knight, King's University College at Western University Dustin Ciufo, King's University College at Western University Chris Borst, McGill University Rebecca Raby, Brock University Session Chair: Erika Alegria, Brock University

Sociology of Mental Health Research Cluster

This session focuses on the impact of social context on mental health outcomes, including changes over the life course. We define social context broadly, ranging from financial and economic context to neighbourhood residence, country of origin, workplaces, or social and demographic contexts including institutions of family, gender, race, and ethnicity. The papers in this session will emphasize patterns of differential vulnerability by individuals' social position within those contexts, including age and socioeconomic status, for example. Session Organizers: Atsushi Narisada, Saint Mary's University Ruth Repchuck, McMaster University Session Chair: Ruth Repchuck, McMaster University

Social Theory Cluster

This session features a range of research which addresses issues in sociological and wider social theory, broadly defined Session Organizer: Tara Milbrandt, University of Alberta Session Chair: Sarah Badr, McGill University

Social Event

Join us in the Greeting Table Room for light refreshments and to network with other delegates. Canadian Sociological Association Conference delegates only

Anti-Islamophobia Subcommittee
Plenary

The 2025 Congress theme is “Reframing Togetherness.” Togetherness presumes mutuality. But how is mutuality—a condition of togetherness—possible in times of genocide? The enduring legacies of coloniality and the racial structures that uphold them persistently render some of us as fully human, while others are deemed “nonhuman or not-quite-human” (Weheliye 2014). The death and devastation witnessed in Palestine, Sudan, the Congo, and “elsewhere(s)” continues to reduce Brown and Black bodies to material for the machinery of the empire. This session invites us to reflect on “the Palestine exception” and the interlocking planetary horizons of coloniality. We will collectively explore the ruptures, disjunctions, and betrayals that emerge in our orientations, relationalities, and frames of mutuality during times when the thin Apollonian face of empire falters, exposing the brute violence that sustains the current order. We would like to thank our co-sponsors, the Canadian Society for the Study of Education (CSSE) and the Canadian Society for the Study of Higher Education (CSSHE). This session is made possible with the financial support of the Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences. Session Organizers: Nadiya Ali, Trent University Ayesha Mian Akram, University of Calgary Lucy El-Sherif, McMaster University Leila Benhadjouja, University of Ottawa Muna Saleh, Concordia University

Applied and Community Engaged Sociology Cluster

In a time of increased austerity, stratification, authoritarianism, and skepticism of what value sociology brings to the world, public sociology holds a more important role than ever in resisting oppression and the continued attacks on the social sciences. Research for social impact demands more than academic rigour; it requires active partnerships with academics, students, communities, governments, and not-for-profit organizations. This session examines the evolving methodologies, pedagogies, and strategies that enable sociologists to work with communities rather than for them. Presenters will explore innovative approaches to community-engaged research, including adaptive methods, co-production of knowledge, and strategies for navigating power dynamics, intersectionality, communication barriers, and ethical challenges. Discussions will highlight how traditional methods can be reimagined by co-producing knowledge and navigating the complexities of research partnerships to foster trust, reciprocity, and shared ownership of research. Emphasizing actionable strategies across all phases of research, including design, data collection, analysis, and dissemination, this session provides insights into building inclusive and impactful sociological practices that bridge academic work with community needs to position sociology as a driver of social change. By fostering knowledge exchange, this session offers attendees a deeper understanding of how methodological and pedagogical innovations can strengthen the role of sociology in achieving meaningful social change beyond the ivory tower. Session Organizers: Andrea DeKeseredy, University of Alberta Amy Peirone, St. Clair College Kyle Jackson, St. Clair College Session Chair: Kyle Jackson, St. Clair College

Sociology of Education Research Cluster
Black Caucus

University admissions are only the first step in students post secondary education journey. This panel will explore the experiences of four Black students navigating university life beyond admissions, focusing on how they have identified and used opportunities that university education can offer. Drawing from the metaphor that “education gets you to the station,” the panel explores the importance of spaces that support Black students' to build essential skills, networks, and experiences that go beyond academics alone. Entering university is akin to being dropped off at a new destination—it's just the start, not the end. For Black students, navigating the university system often comes with unique challenges and "rules of the game" that may require supports. Moderated by Dr. Carl James and Anika Forde, the students speak to their experiences in university environments that nurture academic, personal growth and how students can proactively use their university life to build their resumes. Additionally, they address the role of skills development, preparing students not only to succeed academically but also to harness those skills in their future careers. This includes understanding the value of social capital, recognizing opportunities for growth, and learning how to translate academic achievements into practical, real-world skills that can help them to navigate their beyond university years. Session Organizer: Anika Forde, York University

Criminology and Criminal Justice Research Cluster

This panel will collaboratively explore diverse perspectives on the critical role public trust plays in shaping police policy. Drawing from both research and lived experiences, panelists will discuss how public trust—or the lack thereof—can inform and improve police policies, practices, and community relationships. Topics will include the impact of technology (such as body cameras and predictive policing tools) on public perceptions and how specific groups—such as LGBTQ+ communities, Indigenous peoples, and mentally ill persons in crises (MIPIC)—experience and engage with law enforcement. Through a multidisciplinary lens, the panel aims to foster dialogue on how policing policies can better reflect the needs and concerns of these communities, ultimately improving trust, transparency, and accountability. Session Organizer and Chair: Emily Cauduro, Ontario Tech University

Sociology of Education Research Cluster

This session features developing research in the sociology of education in K-12. Session Organizer: Maria Brisbane, University of Waterloo

Sociology of Education Research Cluster

This session features developing research in the sociology of higher education. Session Organizer: Maria Brisbane, University of Waterloo

Environmental Sociology Research Cluster

Papers in this open call for environmental sociology investigate issues of discourse and power; justice and the environment, social policy and guiding theoretical frameworks, managing environmental change, and addressing inequalities connected with the environment. Grassroots groups, corporate actions, governance decisions, and aspects of race, class, and gender are addressed by papers in these open sessions. Session Organizer: Tyler Bateman, University of New Mexico

Gender and Sexuality Research Cluster

The presentations in this session explore media representations of gender and sexuality. Session Organizers and Chairs: Toby Anne Finlay, York University Chris Tatham, University of Guelph

Internet, Technology, and Digital Sociology Research Cluster
Research Advisory Subcommittee

As AI technologies become increasingly imbedded into many facets of social life, they are also reshaping the landscape of social science research. AI tools are now used to collect data, analyze vast datasets, streamline workflows, mobilize knowledge, make publishing decisions, and even generate new ideas that may both aid and obscure our understanding of social phenomena. This shift, while offering immense opportunities, raises crucial ethical, methodological, and philosophical questions. Through an engaging discussion, the panel aims to spark critical dialogue on how social scientists can thoughtfully and responsibly navigate the opportunities and challenges posed by AI to maintain the integrity of high-quality, autonomous, and conscientious sociological research. Session Organizers: Timothy Kang, University of Saskatchewan Andrew Nevin, University of Guelph

Sociology of Culture Research Cluster

Presentations in this session analyze the social origins of culture. Spanning an array of cultural practices, this session highlights the links between the genesis of cultural objects, cultural change, and social dynamics. Session Organizers: Taylor Price, New York University Sonia Bookman, University of Manitoba

Sociology of Childhood and Youth Research Cluster

This session is focused on the experiences of children and youth and the larger networks and relationships that shape their lives. What experiences in the lives of children and youth does research document? How does this research point towards possible interventions or transformations, and how do young people’s lives inform them? What does research tell us about existing interventions? Young people are sometimes (but not always) invited to participate in research. How does the participation of children and youth impact what gets researched and what gets documented? Should children and youth be invited to participate more fully in research about their lives, and if so, how can this be achieved? What does it look like when it fails? Each of these papers seeks to explore what research on experiences, participations, and interventions can illuminate about young people’s lives. Session Organizers: Hunter Knight, King's University College at Western University Dustin Ciufo, King's University College at Western University Chris Borst, McGill University Rebecca Raby, Brock University Session Chair: Chris Borst, McGill University

Sociology of Mental Health Research Cluster

This session focuses on the impact of social context on mental health outcomes, including changes over the life course. We define social context broadly, ranging from financial and economic context to neighbourhood residence, country of origin, workplaces, or social and demographic contexts including institutions of family, gender, race, and ethnicity. The papers in this session will emphasize patterns of differential vulnerability by individuals' social position within those contexts, including age and socioeconomic status, for example. Session Organizers: Atsushi Narisada, Saint Mary's University Ruth Repchuck, McMaster University Session Chair: Atsushi Narisada, Saint Mary's University

Social Theory Cluster

In light of the CSA’s 2025 conference theme, the Social Theory Cluster invites presentations that explore the direct and/or indirect social impacts to which sociological theory contributes. Social movements and social change processes have always arguably been profoundly impacted by social theories of the day. However, a divide still too often persists between the realms of theory/theory-making and that of empirical or applied sociology that directly focuses on social impact. Session Organizers: Rebeccah Nelems, Athabasca University Tara Milbrandt, University of Alberta Session Chair: Tara Milbrandt, University of Alberta

Professional Development

This roundtable session is organized in the spirit of professional development, mentorship, and sharing. We invited undergraduate social scientists to submit papers to this session with the purpose of providing an opportunity to present work at an academic conference, network with colleagues and receive constructive feedback about their work. Session Organizers: Gary Barron, Lethbridge Polytechnic Lisa Smith, Douglas College

Social Event

Canadian Sociological Association Conference delegates are invited to this annual social event! Additional details will be posted once finalized Location: The Mill Street Beer Hall 21 Tank House Lane, Distillery District Toronto, Ontario M5A 3C4