Please join us at the American Sociological Association's 103rd Annual Meeting, to be held August 1-4, in Boston.

2008 ANNUAL MEETING THEME: The 2008 ASA program will focus on the interconnections between work—broadly conceived—and society. Work is one of the most basic of social activities and institutions and has far-reaching correlates and consequences. The title—Worlds of Work—points to two main sub-themes. First, it underscores the increasing diversity by which work is organized and experienced in societies. Work activities can: take place formally in organizations or informally between individuals; be labeled as illegal or legal; be unpaid, well-paid, or poorly paid; and involve considerable security for some or be unstable for others. People may also regard their work activities as more or less important to them at various stages of their lives. Second, the program title emphasizes the cross-national and historical diversity in work activities, work-related institutions, and the experience of work. Outsourcing of production, global human rights, immigration, and cultural differences all provide fertile ground for a comparative understanding of the many varieties of work....[Read the entire theme statement]

The convention theme seeks to demonstrate the relevance of social science research for public policy and for efforts to address social inequities and inequalities through activism around work-related issues—such as transnational labor movements, union-based movements, and community organizing. The program thereby attempts to contribute to the debates that are likely to surface in the 2008 U.S. presidential election and to promote the continuing emphasis on public sociology..

- Arne L. Kalleberg, ASA President and 2008 Program Committee Chair, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill