Midwest Sociological Society Annual Meeting
Posted: 2/25/2023 (Conference)
n 2023, we find our conference located in what was–for many Americans–the start of an awakening of a new consciousness of the enduring and evolving legacies of structural inequality in the United States. The murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis, and the events that followed, (re)opened critical conversations that sociologists have been leading for decades. These conversations, and their implications, have not taken place solely in the classroom–we have seen these critical conversations about structural violence applied to community organizing, policy change, program evaluation, organizational leadership, and other levels. With the rise in social media and other platforms for knowledge sharing from community leaders, advocates and activists, members of the academy have been exposed to a diverse set of critical thinkers and doers, who offer key insights about and solutions to many of the core sociological questions. More often than not, however, these parallel conversations–community and academic–do not join together to co-create solutions. This conference, held in a city still recovering from the deaths of Daunte Wright, George Floyd, and countless unknown others, offers an opportunity for MSS members to discuss the future of community-engaged/partnered learning and research and the ways in which we use our roles as sociologists to support epistemic justice. Learn more about epistemic justice at https://epistemicjusticeiarslce2018.wordpress.com/a-brief-guide-to-epistemic-injustice-justice/ .
Time: March 23-26, 2023
Location: Minneapolis, MN