Inequalities and Injustices in Transforming Societies

Location: Bielefeld University (Faculty of Sociology), Germany

Organizers:

• Prof. Dr. Carsten Sauer (Faculty of Sociology, Bielefeld University, GER)
• Dr. Jule Adriaans (Faculty of Sociology, Bielefeld University, GER
• Dr. Laura Lükemann (Faculty of Sociology, Bielefeld University, GER)
• Dr. Sebastian Sattler (Faculty of Sociology, Bielefeld University, GER)

Keynote speakers:

• Caroline Fredrickson (International Labour Organization (ILO), Research Department, CHE)
• Prof. Dr. Fabian Pfeffer (Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Department of Sociology, GER)

Contemporary societies are undergoing profound transformations driven by rapid political, economic, and technological change. The accelerating use of digital technologies, increasing labor market volatility, shifts in political representation and participation, and growing social polarization are reshaping social relations and decisionmaking in fundamental ways. Recent developments such as the rise of artificial intelligence, climate-related crises, global migration dynamics, and post-pandemic inequalities further amplify these transformations.

These developments raise pressing questions for inequality and justice research, for example:

• How do changing institutional arrangements, technological infrastructures, and social norms shape perceptions of fairness and legitimacy?
• Which groups benefit from societal change, and which face new risks of exclusion, marginalization, or misrecognition?
• How are inequalities produced, justified, contested, or normalized in times of rapid transformation, and how do these processes vary across institutional and cultural contexts as well as intersecting social positions?
• How do justice-related beliefs, emotions, and moral frameworks adapt—or fail to adapt—to accelerating social and technological change?
• What roles do institutions, movements, and digital platforms play in fostering or mitigating injustice?

Under the conference theme “Inequalities and Injustices in Transforming Societies”, the 21st Biennial Meeting of the International Society for Justice Research invites scholars from a wide range of disciplines (including but not limited to Sociology, Psychology, Social Psychology, Political Sciences, Educational Sciences, and Philosophy) and at all career stages to engage with these questions from diverse theoretical and methodological perspectives. We welcome contributions that address both enduring and emerging forms of inequality and injustice, as well as the psychological, social, and institutional mechanisms through which they are shaped. In line with ISJR’s mission, the conference also aims to foster interdisciplinary exchange, the development of new theoretical perspectives, and dialogue between basic and applied justice research to advance our understanding of justice at all levels—from intraindividual processes to global institutions.

Information about abstract submission and further details:

• Submission process: Please submit your abstract via the submission tool by November 15, 2026: Please click on this LINK.
• Formats: We welcome abstracts for poster presentations, symposia (3-4 thematically related presentations plus a discussant), and/or individual research talks
• Review: All submissions will be reviewed by the program committee.
• Acceptance: We plan to inform you about the acceptance by February 15, 2027.
• Conference homepage: Please click on this LINK.
• Conference fee: See the homepage. Reduced fees apply for members of the society (to join the ISJR: LINK).
• Pre-conference early-career workshop: In addition to the main conference, earlycareer scholars will have the opportunity to participate in a dedicated event on July 19, 2027. LINK.
• Further questions: Please contact us at isjr2027.conference(at)uni-bielefeld.de

We look forward to welcoming an interdisciplinary community of justice researchers to Bielefeld for constructive discussions on inequalities and injustices in transforming societies!
The organizing-team

Call for Papers (PDF)