in recognition of past and present service - Society for the Study of ...

In the SSSP, a wealth of ground-breaking work has begun to accumulate that deepens our understanding of power relations,
enriches social constructionism with social movement theory, and struggles in earnest to reunite fluid social processes with
political economy. The challenge now before us is to push forward and preserve the critical leading edge of this theorizing as we
move beyond our aging paradigms to actively engage and “subvert” the global structures of 21 st Century capitalism.
As a collective project of scholar-activists, the SSSP is all about making real social change happen. In New York City, we invite
participants to challenge established views and contemplate the limits of existing approaches to social problems, including those
of social constructionism. To that end, we are organizing panels, thematic sessions, and special events to explore alternative and
more advanced ways to confront the contemporary structures of globalized capitalism that so insidiously shape our social
problems. All of this requires a revitalized sociological imagination. It requires of us a renewed emphasis on collective response
and strategy to complement critical analysis. The historical moment demands that we as academics and social practitioners work
in better tandem with social movements to help concretize emerging visions of another possible world.
Our task is a big one. We call on progressive analysts and social practitioners alike to join us in New York City to collectively reimagine
social problems in a space where you can “say it out loud.” The venue for the occasion could not possibly offer more
food for thought. From Harlem to Wall Street, the Statue of Liberty to Ground Zero, Staten Island to the Bronx, Brooklyn to the
Hudson River, Coney Island to the Village, Queens to el Barrio, Broadway to the United Nations, Central Park to Battery Park, it’s
all in New York City. And all connected by one subway transport system that greets you at your hotel doorstep on Times Square!
So, be sure to pack your sociological imagination when you come to “occupy” your place in the Big Apple!
R.A. Dello Buono, SSSP President, Manhattan College
2013 Program Committee
David Fasenfest, Chair, Wayne State University
Kum-Kum Bhavnani, University of California, Santa
Barbara
Jeneve Brooks, Troy University
Melanie E. L. Bush, Adelphi University
Rodney D. Coates, Miami University
Walda Katz-Fishman, Howard University
Mary Romero, Arizona State University
George Sanders, Oakland University
Program Artwork
About the artist: LinDa Saphan was born in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Fleeing the Khmer Rouge regime, she took up residence for
over two decades in Canada and France. Her graduate study at the Sorbonne and l'Ecole Normale Superieure was in Urban
Studies with prior degree study in Anthropology and Khmer Studies. She currently teaches sociology at Manhattan College in
New York.
As a visual artist, Dr. Saphan’s work has been included in several collective exhibitions throughout Cambodia, Myanmar, Kenya,
Hungary, Singapore, France, and the US. Her artwork can be seen at Singapore Art Museum and Pierogi 2000 in Brooklyn and Van
Cleve Fine Art in San Diego, USA. For more, visit www.saphan.info.
On behalf of the Society for the Study of Social Problems, Michele Koontz, Administrative Officer & Meeting Manager,
wishes to thank President R.A. Dello Buono; Program Committee Chair David Fasenfest and his committee Kum-Kum
Bhavnani, Jeneve Brooks, Melanie E. L. Bush, Rodney D. Coates, Walda Katz-Fishman, Mary Romero and George Sanders;
Local Arrangements Committee Chair Angie Beeman and her committee Carolle Charles, Francesca Degiuli, Rifat A. Salam,
Karen Ivette Tejada and Thomas Volscho; Executive Officer Héctor L. Delgado; Administrative Assistant Sharon Shumaker
and Graduate Research Associate and Webmaster Lisa East for their contributions to the program. Additional thanks to
artist and sociologist LinDa Saphan who created the program cover and registration bag design. We are also grateful to the
Maul Girls for contributing their reunion performance at the meeting and calling attention to the global cause
of eradicating violence against women.
A special thanks to Manhattan College and the Sage journal Critical Sociology for their financial contributions to program
activities and to the University of California Press for its financial contribution to the registration bags.
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