ASA Holds 2003 Annual Meeting in Atlanta

Newswise — The American Sociological Association's (ASA) 98th Annual Meeting will convene August 16-19th, 2003, at the Hilton Atlanta and the Atlanta Marriott Marquis in Atlanta, GA. More than 550 sessions will be held on a wide range of topics including the United States and the Middle East, the culture of surveillance, and leadership issues for African Americans as well as welfare reform, education, popular culture, and more. The theme of the Annual Meeting is "The Question of Culture."

In addressing the theme, ASA President William Bielby (University of California-Santa Barbara) said, "[It] is an invitation to critically assess how the concept of culture is used across the full range of social inquiry and to take stock of alternative approaches to theory, method, and explanation developed outside of our discipline." In particular, the program focuses on the status of culture, not just in fields dealing with symbolic realms such as arts, media, and religion, but also in sub fields such as demography, organizations, and stratification.

Special this year, Egyptian-American sociologist and human rights advocate, Saad Ibrahim, will participate in a panel on academic freedom in politically oppressive contexts and discuss his personal experience in an Egyptian prison. Also, in commemoration of the 100th anniversary of W.E.B. Dubois's The Souls of Black Folks, numerous sessions will celebrate Dubois and his contributions to the discipline.

In addition to thematic and special sessions, the 2003 Annual Meeting will feature special presentations, book panels, regional tours, and other events focused on a variety of research and policy-related issues. Special media features are also in the works. The preliminary program and up-to-date information regarding media events is posted on the ASA Annual Meeting (http://www.asanet.org/convention/2003/).

Media Opportunities at the Annual Meeting include:

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

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.