ASA Convenes 2004 Annual Meeting in San Francisco

Newswise — The American Sociological Association's (ASA) 99th Annual Meeting will convene August 14-17th, 2004, at the Hilton San Francisco and the Renaissance Parc 55. More than 550 sessions will be held on a wide range of topics including the "Body Politics: Where the Public and the Private Meet," "Globalization of Love," and "Sociology of Sexuality" as well as sessions on welfare reform, education, popular culture, and more. The theme of the Annual Meeting is "Public Sociologies."

In addressing the theme, ASA President Michael Burawoy (University of California-Berkeley) said, "More than ever the world needs public sociologies " sociologies that transcend the academy and engage wider audiences"¦. In stimulating debate about issues of the day, public sociologies inspire and revitalize our own discipline as they also connect us to other disciplines." In particular, the program focuses on the challenges facing public sociologies and sociologists. The program challenges sociologists to transcend the academy and engage wider audiences.

A special feature this year, are panels of international sociologists and world-renowned speakers including public addresses by Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and former United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Arundhati Roy, public intellectual-at-large, activist, and author of The God of Small Things. The closing plenary will feature will feature New York Times opinion columnist and Princeton University economist, Paul Krugman and Fernando Henrique Cardoso, former two-term President of Brazil.

In addition to thematic and special sessions, the 2004 Annual Meeting will feature regional spotlights, local tours, and other events focused on a variety of research and policy-related issues. Regional spotlights, which feature research on the local community, such as "The Fate of the Public University: The Case of California" and "Homelessness in San Francisco," are also featured. Special media events are also in the works. The preliminary program and up-to-date press releases are posted on the meeting website http://www.asanet.org/convention/2004/.

Media Opportunities at the Annual Meeting include:

· Interviews with high profile sociologists · Releases of new research findings · Newsworthy topics and exciting presentations

Journalists are invited to attend Annual Meeting events. Press facilities will be located at the Hilton San Francisco.

The American Sociological Association, founded in 1905, is a non-profit membership association dedicated to serving sociologists in their work, advancing sociology as a science and profession, and promoting the contributions and use of sociology to society.