The theme: Immediately after the fall of the Iron Curtain, Europe has been dominated by an optimistic vision, shared by sociologists, that the world naturally evolves for the better. It seemed that the European Union will strengthen, economically and socially, the whole continent, and the former communist countries of Eastern Europe will complete the transition objectives and will soon achieve a modern and enhanced prosperity. Sociology was called to contribute to the natural process of positive development and did it with responsibility and competence. At the same time, in this field of study dominated the thematic silence, few alternatives being explored. Nowadays, we recognize that the world does not work by itself for the better. New problems have become relevant to the world, many of which have affected all Europe. Conceptualizations and tools developed by sociologists show more clearly their limits. For sociologists, as well as for the whole world, the future is populated by risks, new challenges and new opportunities. New problems require new solutions. It is time for sociology to explore new research directions, to identify new areas of interest and even to rethink current themes in a new perspective.

The International Conference "European Sociology: New Challenges and Opportunities", organized by Romanian Sociological Association, University of Oradea, Faculty of Social-Humanistic Sciences, and Institute for Quality of Life of the Romanian Academy aims to open an arena for the discussion on new investigations of the situations our societies face. The conference brings together theoretical and empirical contributions to this subject in sociology as well as in related fields such as demography, anthropology and social work. Theorists and practitioners in the above mentioned areas are expected to present papers and participate in discussions.

Sections: (for the coordinators and short presentation see www.conference.arsociologie.ro/sections)
1. Changes within the postmodern society family group.
2. Challenging Heteronormative Family Practices in Eastern Europe.
3. Employment hardships and perspectives of the youth
4. Social economy: challenges and opportunities on the labor market
5. The European Social Model and the Nordic welfare state in post-Lisbon era
6. Higher education for Social Cohesion. Cooperative Research and Development in the Cross-Border Area - Romania-Hungary
7. The future of education in Romania: restoring measures and paradigmatic changes
8. Youth and education in contemporary society
9. Well-being of children and adolescents
10. Children’s rights and the social context
11. Social policies in social work
12. The social work of the risk groups. Current trends and development opportunities
13. Global aging and the social implications of this phenomenon
14. The state of social programs and projects evaluation in Romania
15. Quality of life and social inequalities
16. European Social and Penal Policies of Prevention and Fighting against Crime
17. New perspectives on Romanian sociology classic schools
18. Social dialogue in Romania. Evolution or involution?
19. Changes and Constants: Understanding European Societies using Qualitative Research Methods
20. The post-socialist city - Urban transformations
21. Social problems in rural areas
22. Local-Global Dialectics: Hybridization and Identities’ (Re)construction
23. Identity and Interculturality in European Social Space
24. Re-emergence of “community” and the “local level”
25. Protest and political violence: between partisanship and civic activism
26. Romania in the 2012 election cycle. A sociological overview
27. New perspectives in human resources` research
28. The impact of legislative changes on social realities
29. Initiatives, developments and issues of financial stability at the European and national level

Fee: The conference fee of 150 RON/35 EUR (100 RON/25 EUR for master and doctoral students) covers the map and book of abstracts, meals and refreshments throughout the conference. Participants are requested to cover their travel and accommodation expenses. The organizers will negotiate preferential prices for accommodation in Oradea which will be posted on the conference website.

Publication. A selection of the papers, submitted no later than October 15, will be published in the special issues of the journals Romanian Sociology, Quality of Life and Social Innovation. The papers will be selected through a double blind peer-review process.

Contact. Please check the conference website www.conference.arsociologie.ro or send inquiries to: conference@arsociologie.ro