Communities and Societies in Movement

The 2026 Congress of the Swiss Sociological Association will focus on processes and characteristics of communities and societies in movement. What are the world views, geopolitical and economic orders that shape social relations today? Concept development based on theory and empirical studies in sociology is inherently dynamic and plural. How can these current social developments – being affected and perpetuated by societies and communities as well as individuals – be analysed relating to classical sociological perspectives, such as Tönnies’ concept of communities and societies (Tönnies 1887), Weber’s concepts of community formation (Vergemeinschaftung) and society formation (Vergesellschaftung) (Weber 1913), or approaches of the Chicago school (Park, Burgess and McKenzie 1925).

Tönnies defined communities as people coming together through an intrinsic organic value, which is maintained by rules and a sense of solidarity in social union grounded in place, identity or interest-based groups that can traverse physical boundaries but share a sense of belonging. Societies on the other hand are characterised by the rational objective to organise members in a complex, rational system of culture, institutions, norms and a shared identity, often living in a certain territory and belonging to culturally relatable groups. However, we must also ask how current social developments challenge such classical concepts, and what theories, methodologies, and tools can be used to define, categorise and explain social relations today.

Beyond the debates about the relevance of the original understanding of the concepts, the different forms of social relations remain crucial issues in modern societies. The definition and, above all, the justification of what constitutes a social group, an entity, a community or a society (and who can belong to them) is at the heart of conflicts over boundaries (material or symbolic), determines legal rights and (in)equal access to economic, social and political, as well as natural resources.

The interactions between the social forms can be characterised by social cohesion and solidarity and – perhaps as a result – provide people with (subjective) well-being or, on the contrary, generate conflicts. They may change their structures and characteristics over time, modifying the ways in which people identify with them. Empirical studies show that to›belong‹ people must feel free to express their own identity and be recognised as an integral part of the community in which they live. The role of political institutions alone is therefore not enough, society must also ›grant‹ this recognition, which requires a collective understanding and will.

Today several interlinked conditions reconfigure and threaten the sense of belonging and affect identities, collective cohesion and state action. This includes the following issues:

• Identity politics, polarisation and new populist movements
• Economic inequality leading to economic precarity and class fragmentation
• Digitalisation and related divides
• International migration and internal displacement
• Climate crisis and environmental degradation
• Crisis of public trust in democratic institutions
• Eroding sense of belonging

For further information see: https://events.unifr.ch/ssa-conference2026 or contact ssa-conference2026(at)unifr.ch

Call for Sessions (PDF)