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Call for Working Groups for the XVI World Congress of Rural Sociology

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This document provides detailed information about Working Group submissions to the World Congress of Rural Sociology. If you have questions that neither this document nor the Congress website can answer, please contact the member of the IRSA Scientific Committee from your region.

Important dates

  • April 30 to July 30, 2025: Submission of WG proposals on the Congress Website
  • August 15, 2025: Publication of the list of selected Working Groups (WG)
  • October 1 to December 18, 2025: Submission of abstracts to the selected WG
  • February 20, 2026: Selection of abstracts by WG Conveners
  • March 1, 2026: Publication of selected abstracts on the Congress Website

What is a working group?
A working group is a collaborative project organized by a team of 3 to 5 researchers from around the world to produce a high-value discussion on a topic of interest in rural sociology. The subject can be more general or specific and there is no minimum or maximum number of sessions. It will depend on the number of submitted abstracts. However, we will prioritize WG with at least 3 sessions (one per day) and encompassing subjects that are not too restrictive (except for very innovative areas) or too generalist.

Before the congress
The WG begins with a proposal written by 3 to 5 leaders who must have a PhD degree or have a consolidated trajectory in rural studies (not necessarily in sociology). The proposals will be reviewed by the IRSA Scientific Committee, who decide which WG can proceed to recruit abstracts.

The number of selected WG will depend on the available infrastructure and overlaps of subjects. IRSA Scientific Committee might suggest new thematic arrangements to avoid these overlaps or cover new subjects of interest for rural sociologists.

Authors must submit abstracts for the WG using the template available on the Congress website. WG conveners can ask the authors to share full papers before or after the Congress, but this must be optional and managed by the WG conveners themselves (ie. not using the Congress platform).

During the congress
All sessions will be in-person. No remote/online participation is planned.

The first session will include an introductory presentation in which the WG conveners will briefly introduce the main themes, objectives and questions.

Sessions must be coordinated by the WG conveners. They are also responsible for defining the format of presentations and discussions, as well as by controlling the time, inasmuch as the whole session does not use more time than previously defined by the congress organization.

WG can have sessions in English, Spanish or Portuguese, but not mixing these languages in the same session. In order that participants can identify the language of each session on the Congress Program, conveners have to decide which languages will be accepted by the WG. Considering the Congress take place in Latin America, in order to enlarge participation, we suggest that at least one of the conveners could also be able to evaluate abstracts and coordinate sessions in Portuguese or Spanish.

Formatting the proposal and practical organization plan
The list below summarizes the requirements for a Working Group proposal:

  • Title
  • Name of 3-5 coordinators with their affiliations and a short bio
  • Main goals of the WG
  • Subjects that will be discussed
  • Proposed methodology
  • Languages accepted in the WG (English, Portuguese, Spanish)

Criteria for selection

  • Relevance of the topic for current rural social studies.
  • Overlaps and complementarities with other propositions.
  • Diversity of WG proponents in terms of region, affiliation, and gender.
  • Previous experience of the WG conveners in the subject. Yet, we encourage WG to consider at least one early-career academic (PhD doctor for less than 5 years).

IRSA Scientific Committee


Announcing the XVI World Congress of Rural Sociology

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From July 19 to 23, 2026, the Brazilian Society of Rural Economics, Sociology, and Management (SOBER) will proudly host a joint congress featuring the XVI World Congress of Rural Sociology and the 64th Congress of the Brazilian Society of Rural Economics, Sociology and Management. The will take place at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in the vibrant city of Porto Alegre, Brazil.

Call for abstracts for the 30th European Society for Rural Sociology Congress

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Dr Rudi Messner, A/Professor Elizabeth Ransom and Prof Carol Richards invite abstracts for Working Group 9:  From Food country to Carbon country – Rural Livelihoods and the tensions between agriculture and ‘climate-solutions’ markets at the European Society for Rural Sociology (ESRS) – July 7-11, 2025, Riga, Latvia. For more information about the conference please see the ESRS2025 conference website and abstract submission site.

New book: Societal Deception: Global Social Issues in Post-Truth Times

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This book provides a comprehensive overview of ‘societal deception’ – how and why people are deceived and led to believe fake news. Coherently blending critical political economy and sociology, the author provocatively examines how corporations, political parties, the media, think tanks and assorted ‘influencers’ seek to manipulate public opinion to achieve their goals. This book spans an array of contemporary topics and issues not normally tackled by a single writer – the media, genetic engineering, fast food, environmental pollution, climate change, economic inequality, political manipulations, sports, and religion. While critical in subject matter, and replete with easily accessible and reliable sources, this book is highly readable and entertaining for the general as well as academic audience interested in current global issues.

The book is written by former IRSA President Geoffrey Lawrence and published by Palgrave Macmillan.

President’s Corner: The privilege and challenges of being President of the International Rural Sociology Association

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By Sally Shortall, IRSA President

I took over as President of IRSA in 2023 and felt privileged to do so. At a time when it feels that nationalism can make the world smaller and intolerant, it is an honour to lead an international network of scholars. Rural sociologists are interested in comparative analysis across the globe with a focus on understanding social processes and structures
and striving for a more equal society.

I had not anticipated some of the logistical challenges when I took up post. I decided to have three to four online meetings per year. There are many time zones to accommodate! I am very grateful to my colleagues who join very early online, or very late at night. Slowly we are making progress after the hiatus caused by Covid-19. I have now met with all the Presidents of the Regional Associations. This required two different
meetings, one very early in the morning for me and one very late at night. I am very grateful for the buy-in of the Presidents. Some people do not realise that IRSA is not an individual membership association, rather it is the regional associations who make up the membership.

I am particularly thankful that the Secretary-Treasurer Ray Jussaume agreed to stay on for my tenure. Institutional memory is critical for an association that tends to significantly change membership every four years.

Now we are working with our colleagues in Porto Alegre, Brazil who are organising the next IRSA Congress in Brazil in July 2026. We will be relying on you to support the Congress! Watch this space – more details and information will follow shortly.

IRSA President: Sally Shortall

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Sally Shortall is interested in farm families, and how their values and decisions shape agricultural practice. She is particularly interested in the role of women in farm families. Her research on gender relations in agriculture has focused on dynamics of power, how it is accepted and almost unquestioned that women rarely inherit land, are not recognised by the industry, and have limited access to capital and training. This persists in a context of general improvements in gender equality. To date her research has focused on Europe, Canada, Australia, Tanzania and Nigeria. She is currently working on women’s role in leading on ecological transitions and leading a Horizon Europe project (2023-2026) on this question. She has published extensively on these questions. Sally is also involved in a Horizon Europe project (2023-2027) looking at farmer health and safety and mental well-being, with a focus on the ethics of interviewing farmers who have had life changing accidents.

Sally Shortall was twice elected President of the European Society for Rural Sociology (2015-17; 2017-19). She was elected First Vice-President of the International Rural Sociology Association (2016-2020).

She was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences in 2021, and elected an International Fellow of the Royal Swedish Academy of Agriculture and Forestry for international service to agriculture.

Sally holds Visiting Professorships in Queen’s University Belfast, and has a 30% appointment in the Technology University of the Southeast of Ireland. She is an Irish citizen.

International Rural Sociology Association Regional Presidents

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President, Rural Sociological Society

  • Jennifer Sherman, Ph.D., Professor of Sociology
  • Washington State University
  • Wilson-Short 215, Pullman, WA 99164
  • 509-335-4163
  • jennifer_sherman@wsu.edu

President, Asociación Latinoamericana de Sociología Rural

President of the Australasian Food Network

  • Dr Emma Sharp, Rutherford Discovery Fellow
  • 301.531B | 23 Symonds Street | Te Kura Matai Taiao/ School of
  • Environment | Waipapa Taumata Rau/ The University of Auckland |
  • Private Bag 92019, Auckland 1142 | Aotearoa/ New Zealand
  • el.sharp@auckland.ac.nz

President of the Asian Rural Sociology Association

  • Motoki Akitsu, Professor
  • Graduate School of Agriculture
  • Kyoto University
  • Kitashirakawa Oiwake-cho, Sakyo-ku, Kyoto, 606-8502, Japan
  • e-mail　akitsu.motoki.4r@kyoto-u.ac.jp

President: European Society for Rural Sociology

  • Annette Aagaard Thuesen, Associate Professor
  • The Faculty of Business and Social Sciences
  • Department of Political Science and Public Management
  • Danish Centre for Rural Research
  • University of Southern Denmark
  • +45 65 50 42 25
  • aat@sam.sdu.dk  
  • https://www.sdu.dk/ansat/aat