The European Sociological Association (ESA) is an academic association of sociologists and a non-profit Europe-wide association made up of over 1900 members.
It was established in 1992, mainly on the Austria Sociological Association's initiative. This idea follows an informal meeting during the Biannual Congress of the Austrian Sociological Association in Graz 1987. After that event, after a lot of deliberations and consultations among sociologists from a diverse range of countries, after the decision for Vienna as the place of the First European Conference of Sociology, also a local Organising Committee was established, consisting of Eva Cyba, Max Haller, E. Jandl-Jager, Rudolf Richter and Ronald Pohoryles.
The First European Conference of Sociology in Vienna in August 1992 attracted 631 sociologists from East, West, North and South Europe, and from a total of 33 countries. The conference was organised by both international and local programme committees with the cooperation of 38 panel organisers from 19 different European countries.
The European Sociological Association (ESA) aims to facilitate sociological research, teaching and communication on European issues, to build networks between European sociologists and to give sociology a voice in European affairs.
ESA is also member of the Initiative for Science in Europe and the International Sociological Association.
1995-1997: Sylvia Walby, University of Leeds, UK1997-1999: Martin Kohli, European University Institute (Florence)1999-2001: Jiri Musil, University of Prague, Czech Republic2001-2003: Yasemin Soysal, University of Essex, UK2003-2005: J.P. Roos, University of Helsinki, Finland2005-2007: Giovanna Procacci, University of Milan, Italy2007-2009: Claire Wallace, University of Aberdeen, UK2009-2011: Analia Torres, Instituto Universitário de Lisboa, Portugal2011-2013: Pekka Sulkunen, University of Helsinki, Finland2013-2015: Carmen Leccardi, University of Milan-Bicocca, Italy2015-2017: Frank Welz, University of Innsbruck, AustriaVienna, Austria, 24–27 August 1992: "Sociological Perspectives on a Changing Europe"Budapest, Hungary, 30 August - 2 September 1995: "European Societies: Fusion or Fission?"Essex, UK, 27–30 August 1997: "20th Century Europe: Inclusions/Exclusions"Amsterdam, The Netherlands, 18–21 August 1999: "Will Europe Work?"Helsinki, Finland, 28 August - 1 September 2001: "Visions and Division: Challenges to European Sociology"Murcia, Spain, September 23–26, 2003: "Ageing societies, new sociology"Torun, Poland, 9–13 September 2005: "Rethinking Inequalities"Glasgow, UK, 3–6 September 2007: "Conflict, Citizenship and Civil Society"Lisbon, Portugal, 2–5 September 2009: "European Society or European Societies?"Geneva, Switzerland, 7–10 September 2011: "Social Relations in Turbulent Times"Turin, Italy, 28–31 August 2013: "Crisis, Critique and Change"Prague, Czech Republic, 25–28 August 2015: "Differences, inequalities and sociological imagination"Athens, Greece, 29 August - 1 September 2017: "(Un)Making Europe: Capitalism, Solidarities, Subjectivities"The European Sociological Association has approved 37 Research Networks
RN1 - Ageing in EuropeRN2 - Sociology of the ArtsRN3 - Biographical Perspectives on European SocietiesRN4 - Sociology of Children and ChildhoodRN5 - Sociology of ConsumptionRN6 - Critical Political EconomyRN7 - Sociology of CultureRN8 - Disaster, Conflict and Social CrisisRN9 - Economic SociologyRN10 - Sociology of EducationRN11 - Sociology of EmotionsRN12 - Environment and SocietyRN13 - Sociology of Families and Intimate LivesRN14 - Gender Relations in the Labour Market and the Welfare StateRN15 - Global, Transnational and Cosmopolitan SociologyRN16 - Sociology of Health and IllnessRN17 - Work, Employment and Industrial RelationsRN18 - Sociology of Communications and Media ResearchRN19 - Sociology of ProfessionsRN20 - Qualitative MethodsRN21 - Quantitative MethodsRN22 - Sociology of Risk and UncertaintyRN23 - SexualityRN24 - Science and TechnologyRN25 - Social MovementsRN26 - Sociology of Social PolicyRN27 - Regional Network on Southern European SocietiesRN28 - Society and SportsRN29 - Social TheoryRN30 - Youth and GenerationRN31 - Ethnic Relations, Racism and AntisemitismRN32 - Political SociologyRN33 - Women's and Gender StudiesRN34 - Sociology of ReligionRN35 - Sociology of MigrationRN36 - Sociology of Transformations: East and WestRN37 - Urban Sociology