Dear ,

As you may have read earlier this week, the next call for TASA's Executive Committee nominations will be disseminated to all TASA members on August 1. Read on...

Some important pending deadlines for the conference are:

• August 24 for all TASA 2018 Conference Scholarship applications:

1. Conference Scholarship for TASA Members with Disabilities;
2. The Jerzy Zubrzycki Postgraduate Conference Scholarship;
3. TASA Postgraduate Conference Scholarship;
4. TASA Conference Scholarship for Sociology in Action;
5. TASA Precarious Work Scholarship Fund; and

• September 7 for conference registration to be included in the program. To register now, click on the purple button below.

Congratulations

A warm congratulations is extended to fellow member Deborah Lupton who will be travelling to Copenhagen in November to receive the award of an Honorary Doctorate from the University of Copenhagen, nominated by the Department of Sociology in recognition of her outstanding accomplishments in sociology. Deborah joins Zygmunt Bauman, who passed away last year, a previous sociology Copenhagen awardee (2002).

Employment Opportunities

Professors of Sociology, The University of Newcastle

The School of Humanities and Social Sciences at The University of Newcastle seeks to appoint two Professors of Sociology to join a dynamic and high performing School that is undergoing transformation across its research and teaching.                                  Applications close: July 13. Read on...

Higher Degree by Research (HDR) Scholarship Opportunities

The Institute for Culture and Society is advertising two new HDR scholarships funded through a new interdisciplinary NHMRC CRE for Adolescent Health. Scholarships are based within Stream 1: A new ethics of engagement with young people in health. The topics and Centre for Research Excellence will be particularly relevant for people interested in critical digital health studies, social and cultural youth health research, interdisciplinary research and data ethics.

1. Data, Technology and Ethics in Adolescent Health Research
2. Socio-cultural Perspectives and Possibilities of Adolescent Health in the Digital Age

The application deadline for both scholarships is July 22, 2018

PhD Scholarship Opportunities

How schools foster refugee student resilience 

Applications are now open for a PhD scholarship in the School of Education at the University of South Australia investigating how schools enact policy to support students from refugee backgrounds to be successful. The scholarship is offered as part of an ARC Linkage Grant.  The successful applicant will be supervised by Professor Roger Slee, Associate Professor Anna Sullivan and Dr Melanie Baak. Scholarship details can be accessed here. If you require further information, please contact Anna Sullivan.

Living with Pervasive Media Technologies from Drones to Smart Homes

Digital assistants, smart devices, drones and other autonomous and artificial intelligence technologies are rapidly changing work, culture, cities and even the intimate spaces of the home. They are 21st century media forms: recording, representing and acting, often in real-time. This project investigates the impact of living with autonomous and intelligent media technologies. It explores the changing situation of media and communication studies in this expanded field. How do these media technologies refigure relations between people and the world? What policy challenges do they present? How do they include and exclude marginalized peoples? How are they transforming media and communications themselves? (Supervisory team: Michael Richardson, Andrew Murphie, Heather Ford). If you have any questions, please contact Heather Ford. Read on...

Data Justice: Technology, policy and community impact

With growing concerns that data mining, ubiquitous surveillance and automated decision making can unfairly disadvantage already marginalised groups, this research aims to identify policy areas where injustices are caused by data- or algorithm-driven decisions, examine the assumptions underlying these technologies, document the lived experiences of those who are affected, and explore innovative ways to prevent such injustices. Innovative qualitative and digital methods will be used to identify connections across community, policy and technology perspectives on ‘big data’. The project is expected to deepen social engagement with disadvantaged communities, and strengthen global impact in promoting social justice in a datafied world. (Supervisory team: Tanja Dreher, Heather Ford, Janet Chan). If you have any questions, please contact Heather Ford. Read on...

Indigenous Foodways in Cape York Peninsula

The Indigenous Foodways PhD will build upon a larger study, by undertaking a comparative history and multi-sited ethnography of foodways in the study area. Read on...

Donor Linking

The successful applicant will be based in the School of Law, La Trobe University. This is a socio-legal project and a law or social sciences background (or combination thereof) is okay. The applicant will work on an Australian Research Council Discovery Project with Associate Professor Fiona Kelly (La Trobe University Law School) and Associate Professor Deborah Dempsey (Swinburne University - Sociology). The project asks: what is the impact of donor linking on individual and familial identities and relationships, and what are the consequences of the growing prevalence and popularity of non-statutory linking for formal regulatory frameworks?    Further details are available here.  

Medical Cannabis

Applications for a University of Queensland PhD Scholarship ($27,082 per annum) on medicinal cannabis are now open. The successful applicant will be supervised by Health Sociologist Dr Rebecca Olson, School of Social Science, University of Queensland, as they complete a qualitative study into palliative care patients’ perceptions of medical cannabis as part of an NHMRC study on medicinal cannabis in patients with advanced cancer. Experience in conducting qualitative research and a background in the social sciences and health (e.g., health sociology, medical anthropology, criminology, critical public health) are desired. Please contact Rebecca Olson for further information: r.olson@uq.edu.au .

Nexus - Doctoral Completions

Have you completed a PhD, professional doctorate or similar degree in recent months? If so, we would like to publish details in Nexus. Please complete this form and forward to the editors for inclusion in the August issue of Nexus. Congratulations!

Journal of Sociology

Call for Submissions

Special Edition 2020: The Journal of Sociology is an international journal published four times a year by Sage. Each year the Editors invite expressions of interest from the international community of sociological scholars in guest editing a Special Edition of the Journal. Special Editions may address any sociological theme which is likely to be of interest to the Journal readership.                                                                Expressions of Interests due: July 9. Read on...

Public Lecture – AI IS NOT WHAT YOU THINK: Everyday Life and the Digital Revolution

In this provocative lecture, Cambridge-trained sociologist Anthony Elliott argues that much of what passes for conventional wisdom about the AI Revolution is either ill-considered or plain wrong.  The reason?  AI is not so much about the future, but is rather a revolution already well underway – albeit one which is unfolding in complex and uneven ways across the globe.

From industrial robots to chatbots, and from driverless cars to military drones – AI, Elliott argues, is transforming all aspects of our lives, from the most intimate aspects of personal relationships to the changing nature of work, employment and unemployment.

Elliott explores how intelligent machines, advanced robotics, accelerating automation, big data and the Internet of Everything are impacting everyday life and modern societies.  The rise of smart machines transforms the global economy, but equally there are now massive changes to society and everyday life.  In order to grasp the full impact of these transformations, Elliott focuses not only on automated technology and jobs and employment, but also AI and new forms of social interaction and the transformation of private life.

13th September, Western Sydney University. Read on...

Digital Society: New Frontiers in Sociological Research

This one-day symposium explores new and emerging social research into digital spaces and phenomena, as well as methods that use online digital data.                                    Keynote speaker: Deborah Lupton                                                                                Australian National University, Canberra. 11 September.                                      Researchers are invited to participate in a one-day event to explore the intersection of culture, digital media and online spaces. If you are using digital methods or just grappling with this emerging area, we encourage you to attend and engage with cutting-edge research and methods in digital sociology. Submission format options include:

• 300 word abstracts for the paper sessions (15 min presentations)
• Proposals for research notes and paper presentations sessions

Submission deadline: August 10. Read on...

Symposium: Migration, Social Inclusion and the Multicultural City

This one-day symposium will be held on Friday, 14 September,  9am - 5pm. Western Sydney University, Parramatta City Campus. The event will bring together academics, government and NGO agencies, community workers and industry, with the aim of identifying and discussing the pertinent challenges today – new and persistent – in the intersections of global migration and social inclusion in Australia’s multicultural cities. More details on this event will be available soon. In the meantime, here is the list of confirmed speakers to-date:

• A/Prof Farida Fozdar
• Dr Randa Abdel Fattah
• Dr Shanthi Robertson
• Dr Jacqueline Nelson
• A/Prof Amanda Wise
• Dr Christina Ho
• Dr Kristine Aquino
• Dr Jennifer Cheng
• Zarlasht Sarwari
• Doug Cronin
• Charlotte Sefton
• Nirary Dacho, Refugee Talent
• Nickie Flambouras, AFL Multcultural Programs NSW/ACT

The Beaumont Children: investigations and implications of cold-cases

We are pleased to announce that the Crime and Governance thematic group will be hosting this Social Sciences Week (SSW) event. The event, The Beaumont Children: investigations and implications of cold-cases, will be held on the 11th September at the University of Newcastle's Sydney Location. It will involve a panel discussion with two specialist forensic investigators, Dr Xanthé Mallett and Duncan McNab, and a fellow member, Ben Lohmeyer. The group hope to attract a diverse audience to this event.

There are 3 x $200 bursaries for TASA postgraduate/casual/unwaged members based in regional NSW or interstate to support support accommodation/transportation costs. There are also 5 x $20 bursaries for TASA postgraduate/casual/unwaged members based in Sydney to support car parking or public transport costs (excluding fuel expenses). Anyone interested in applying for these bursaries can email Joel.

The organisers are also looking for undergraduate students who would be interested volunteering. The undergraduate volunteers would be asked to post on social media throughout the event. These students will receive 1 year TASA membership and a $20 visa gift card for their involvement (limited to 10 students). Please pass this email onto any  undergraduate student you think may be interested in volunteering. Interested students can email Joel.

For more details, & to register, please read on..

For details about SSW, please go to the Social Sciences Week website. 

Members' Publications

Books

Journal - Articles

Connell, Raewyn. 2018. Decolonizing sociology. Contemporary Sociology, vol. 47 no. 4, 399-407

Chesters, J. 2018 Alleviating or exacerbating disadvantage: Does school attended mediate the association between family background and educational attainment? Journal of Education Policy.

Forsdike, K., Tarzia, L., Flood, M., Vlais, R., and Hegarty, K. ‘A lightbulb moment’: Using the theory of planned behaviour to explore the challenges and opportunities for early engagement of Australian men who use violence in their relationships. Journal of Interpersonal Violence, 2018. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0886260518780778

MacDonald, F., Bottrell, D. & Johnson, B. (2018). Socially transformative wellbeing practices in flexible learning environments: Invoking an education of hope, Health Education. Article first published online: May 31, 2018

Jae-Eun Noh (2018). Human rights-guided child sponsorship: A case study of ActionAi. VOULTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations. 

Informed News & Analysis

Alexandra Wong, David Rowe & Teresa Swist (June 28, 2018). Sydney artists are being priced out of the city – here’s how to bring them back. The Conversation. 

Blogs

Emma Barnard, 'Why are young girls asking for vaginal cosmetic surgery?' Pursuit.

Members' Keynote Invitations

Have you been invited to give a keynote? If so, we'd love to hear about it so that we can list the details in the weekly newsletter here. 

Promotions

Have you been promoted recently? If so, we'd love to hear about it so that we can share the details in the weekly newsletter here.

Other Events, News & Opportunities

Call for Participants

Imagining the future after Brexit: Academics tell their stories. After four decades of membership, the UK has voted to leave the European project. The ramifications of Brexit are starting to be felt both within and outside the ‘Brexit area’ and are likely to continue to be felt for years to come after the UK finally leaves the European Union. However, little is known about the impact that Brexit is having on academics, a set of skilled workers who face significant post-Brexit upheaval in not only their employment options and future opportunities, but also their social lives. The impact is not only felt by EU citizens currently living in the UK; it also affects British citizens currently living and working abroad. We are interested in the perspectives of both groups. The research focuses on EU academics living and working in the UK & British academics living and working abroad. The project conducted by Dr Cristina Costa (University of West of England), Dr Mark Murphy (University of Glasgow) and Dr Rille Raaper (University of Durham) –  three European Union Citizens living in the UK – as well as Dr Jenna Condie (Western Sydney University), a British Citizen living in Australia. Our biographical and professional trajectories may hint at our interest in this project! For further information and guidance on how to contribute with your narrative, please link here.

Symposiums

Rural Crime and the Law: from community concerns to institutional action      29-30 November, University of New England, Armidale, NST                                      Keynotes: Professor Russell Hogg, QUT, and Mr Steve Bradshaw, retired Assistant Commissioner NSW Police Force.                                                                                    Submission deadline: October 1. Read on...

A TASA Postgraduate and ECR workshop, ‘Behind the Scenes: How to Run Academic Events and Organise Collaborative Publishing,’ will be held at Griffith University (South Bank campus) on Thursday September 27, 2018. This is a free workshop for Postgraduate and ECR members of TASA. 

This workshop will feature a panel with Professor Andy Bennett (Griffith) and Dr Brady Robards (Monash), chaired by Ashleigh Watson (Griffith), as well as practical activities aimed at demystifying the organisation of academic events and collaborative publishing. This event is being run in conjunction with the Griffith Centre for Social and Cultural Research’s Language, Culture and Belonging Symposium (LCBS2018).                    For information and registration, please read on... 

Doing Gender: Relationships, Emotions and Spaces of Learning               Monday, August 13th, Deakin Downtown, 9.30-2.30pm                                           Conveners: Amanda Keddie (Deakin University) and Garth Stahl (University of South Australia)                                                                                                                                             The one-day symposium is focused on discussing previous and current research on emotions and gender which inform our thinking about young people’s experiences with learning today. For more details and to register, read on...

Conferences

9th INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON HUMAN RIGHTS EDUCATION
Unleashing the Full Potential of Civil Society
26-29 November, Western Sydney University, Parramatta South Campus ubmission deadline: July 16. Read on...

The Future of Academic Work: a Deliberative Conference                        University of Technology, Sydney                                                                                    Wednesday 5 December, 2018. 9am-5pm.                                                                    Registrations are now open for this free conference. If you would like more information about the event, or to propose a workshop, please contact Dr Nour Dados - (02)95141190. To register, click here. 

Australasian Association of Buddhist Studies (multidisciplinary)                              8–9 November 2018
Deakin Downtown, Melbourne                                                                                            Submission deadline: July 31. Read on...

Gift Memberships

Gift memberships are available with TASA.  If you would like to purchase a gift membership, please email the following details through to the TASA Office:

1. First name of gift recipient;
2. email address of gift recipient;
3. the membership category you are gifting (see the Membership Categories & Fees section of TASAweb);
4. the cost of the membership; and
5. who the Membership Invoice should be made out to;

Upon receiving the above details, TASA will email the recipient with full details on how they can take up the gift membership.  You can view an example of that email in both Word (39kb) and Pdf (159kb) formats. You will receive an invoice, via email, after the recipient completes the online membership form.

Newsletter Submissions

We encourage you to support your colleagues by sharing details of your latest publications with them via this newsletter. No publication is too big or too small. Any mention of sociology is of value to our association, and to the discipline, so please do send through details of your latest publication (fully referenced) for the next newsletter, to the TASA Office. Usually, the newsletter is disseminated every Thursday morning.

Links to external servers do not imply any official endorsement by The Australian Sociological Association or the opinions, ideas or information contained therein, nor guarantee the validity, completeness or utility of the information provided. Reference herein to any products, services, processes, hypertext links to third parties or other information does not necessarily constitute or imply endorsement, sponsorship or recommendation.

Save the Date: 24-30 July, 2022