ASA has a membership composed of sociologists from a range of backgrounds and with a variety of perspectives, and the association strives to reflect this. A key unifying concern for sociologists is the fundamental importance of academic freedom. Recognizing that shared concern, in February 2024, ASA released a Statement on Academic Freedom in the Face of Global and National Crisis:
The American Sociological Association (ASA) expresses deep concern and dismay regarding the loss of civilian lives in the context of continued violence in Gaza and Israel as well as other contexts of conflict and suffering unfolding across the globe. We join sociologists across the world in calling for conditions that will support lasting peace. Many scholars have faced doxing, harassment, censorship, and threats to their physical, emotional, and economic safety by virtue of expressing their scholarly positions on this and other global and national crises. The ASA condemns, in the strongest possible terms, these encroachments on academic freedom. Academic freedom and corresponding unfettered inquiry are absolutely essential to the pursuit of knowledge and a functioning democratic system. Sociologists must be free to share their scholarly views on any and all topics without fearing political reprisals. We stand in support of all sociologists in their efforts to express their scholarly perspectives without retribution.
ASA Council reiterates its support for academic freedom for all and its call for conditions that will support lasting peace in the context of continued violence in Gaza and Israel, as articulated in the statement above.
