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| Society for the Study of Social Problems | |
|---|---|
| Name | Society for the Study of Social Problems |
| Formation | 1951 |
| Type | Learned society |
| Headquarters | United States |
| Fields | Sociology, Social policy, Social justice |
| Leader title | President |
Society for the Study of Social Problems is a professional association founded in 1951 that brings together scholars, activists, and practitioners concerned with social issues and inequalities. It promotes critical, empirical, and applied research on social problems and fosters cross-disciplinary collaboration among members from universities, research institutes, and advocacy organizations. The society is known for producing peer-reviewed publications, hosting annual meetings, and awarding prizes to work addressing structural inequalities and public policy.
The society originated in the aftermath of postwar debates among scholars associated with Columbia University, University of Chicago, Harvard University, University of Michigan, and Indiana University who sought alternatives to dominant approaches exemplified by figures linked to Talcott Parsons, Robert K. Merton, Erving Goffman, C. Wright Mills, and David Riesman. Early organizational meetings included participants from American Sociological Association, Social Science Research Council, Russell Sage Foundation, and regional groups such as the Eastern Sociological Society and Midwest Sociological Society. Founders referenced contemporary events like the Civil Rights Movement, the Korean War, and the Brown v. Board of Education decision as shaping the society's emphasis on inequality, drawing intellectual connections to scholars influenced by W. E. B. Du Bois, Jane Addams, Howard Becker, and William Foote Whyte.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s the society expanded its constituency to include researchers from University of California, Berkeley, University of Texas at Austin, University of Wisconsin–Madison, Princeton University, and international partners tied to institutions such as London School of Economics, University of Toronto, and Australian National University. Debates within the society paralleled larger disciplinary controversies over quantitative methods promoted at Northwestern University and qualitative traditions associated with University of California, Santa Cruz and Brandeis University. Shifts in funding from sources like the Ford Foundation and the National Science Foundation influenced programmatic emphases in the 1980s and 1990s.
The society’s stated goals align with a tradition of public-facing scholarship connecting academic inquiry to issues highlighted by movements such as the Women's Liberation Movement, Black Power, United Farm Workers, Environmental Justice Movement, and LGBT rights movement. Objectives include advancing research on poverty and welfare policy relating to legislation such as the Social Security Act, assessing criminal justice outcomes in light of reforms influenced by rulings like Miranda v. Arizona, and examining labor conditions in contexts affected by agreements such as the North American Free Trade Agreement. The organization encourages interdisciplinary engagement across centers at Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health, Harvard Kennedy School, and NGOs including American Civil Liberties Union and Human Rights Watch.
Governance typically comprises an elected executive committee with roles comparable to boards at American Political Science Association and American Anthropological Association, including rotating presidents drawn from departments at New York University, University of California, Los Angeles, Michigan State University, Duke University, and Johns Hopkins University. Membership categories mirror those of learned societies such as American Historical Association with student, regular, and emeritus tiers; institutional affiliates include libraries like the Library of Congress and research centers at Brookings Institution and Urban Institute. Regional sections and topical divisions often parallel groups active within the International Sociological Association and collaborate with unions and grassroots organizations including Service Employees International Union, National Organization for Women, and Amnesty International.
The society publishes a flagship journal and associated monographs that follow editorial models similar to American Journal of Sociology, Social Problems (journal), Annual Review of Sociology, and specialty outlets linked to Gender & Society and Crime & Delinquency. Edited volumes and conference proceedings have included contributors from research centers at RAND Corporation, Pew Research Center, Urban Institute, and university presses such as Oxford University Press, Cambridge University Press, and University of California Press. Special issues have examined topics in parallel with reports by World Health Organization, United Nations, and policy analyses from Economic Policy Institute.
Annual meetings attract panels and roundtables patterned on formats used by American Sociological Association conventions, with keynote lectures given by scholars affiliated with Princeton University, Stanford University, Yale University, Columbia University, and public intellectuals associated with outlets like The New York Times and The Atlantic. Conferences include workshops modeled after those at Institute for Advanced Study and collaborations with international gatherings such as the European Sociological Association congress and events hosted by UNESCO and OECD.
The society confers prizes that recognize scholarship and activism comparable to honors from American Sociological Association, MacArthur Fellowship, Guggenheim Fellowship, and named awards recalling figures like C. Wright Mills Award and W.E.B. Du Bois Career of Distinguished Scholarship Award. Awards celebrate dissertations, lifetime achievement, and community-engaged research involving partnerships with organizations such as National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, Southern Poverty Law Center, and foundations like Carnegie Corporation.
Scholars and commentators in venues such as The New Yorker, The Washington Post, The Guardian, and disciplinary critiques published in journals like Social Forces and Sociological Theory have examined the society’s theoretical orientations, funding sources linked to foundations such as Ford Foundation and Rockefeller Foundation, and its influence on public policy debates including welfare reform and criminal justice. Impact studies comparing citation patterns with journals like American Sociological Review and metrics collected by databases such as Scopus and Web of Science evaluate the society’s reach, while debates persist about representation, methodological pluralism, and engagement with social movements including Occupy Wall Street and Black Lives Matter.
Category:Learned societies