Open Calls

Configurações: Revista de Ciências Sociais N.º 39, june 2027 | Thematic Dossier “Public Sociologies in the 21st Century: Legacy, Controversies and Practices in Times of Crisis”

Editors: Fernando Diogo (Centro Interdisciplinar de Ciências Sociais – Polo da Universidade dos Açores and Universidade dos Açores, ORCID ID 0000-0001-5790-8691) and Mariano Urraco Solanilla (Universidad Complutense de Madrid, ORCID ID 0000-0002-5839-0019).

Call for papers:
The journal Configurações invites the submission of articles for a thematic dossier dedicated to public sociologies, in tribute to Michael Burawoy (1947-2025), whose pioneering work left an indelible mark on contemporary debates about the role of sociology in democratic societies. Building on his programmatic proposal, this special issue aims to revisit, deepen and critically examine public sociology as public sociologies - understood as plural practices, projects and arenas of intervention.

In a context marked by intensifying inequalities, the crisis of democratic institutions and the digital transformation of the public sphere -  where Artificial Intelligence often appears more as a threat than a promise - it is crucial to interrogate the multiple forms of production and circulation of sociological knowledge and practice beyond the limited world of academia. What role does Sociology play in contemporary societies? How does the discipline contribute to addressing current social problems and challenges? What forms do public sociologies take today? How are they constructed? What tensions emerge between scientific autonomy, normative commitment and political instrumentalization? What ethical, epistemological and institutional challenges arise in the practice of a dialogical, reflexive and scientifically rigorous sociology? What codes are used by sociology to communicate with society? What are the contributions of public sociologies to democratic reflexivity at different territorial scales?

Particular consideration will be given to contributions that:

  • Develop theoretical and epistemological frameworks on public sociology;

  • Problematize the limits, risks and ambivalences of public intervention carried out in the name of sociology, particularly interventions that claim to be public sociology;

  • Critically reflect on the legacy of Michael Burawoy and its contemporary reinterpretations;

  • Present case studies highlighting issues such as public engagement, co-production of knowledge or participatory research;

  • Analyse experiences in diverse contexts, including the Global South.

Articles may be submitted in Portuguese, Spanish, French or English. All submissions are subject to double-blind peer review.

Articles proposed to Configurações: Revista de Ciências Sociais must be submitted electronically after registering on the platform, by 31 July 2026. Authors are strongly encouraged to carefully read the submission guidelines.

[To access the call in other languages: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QIPwj3xcODC0aD0kVHT1mW1Ev6P26rOK/view?usp=sharing]

Configurações: Revista de Ciências Sociais | ONGOING CALL FOR PAPERS

Configurações: Revista de Ciências Sociais, published by the Interdisciplinary Centre of Social Sciences – University of Minho Hub, is a journal indexed in international bibliographic databases, which has an open access policy and publishes unpublished academic works, in the form of articles or reviews of published works, which contribute to enriching scientific knowledge on relevant themes in the area of Social Sciences and, in particular, Sociology. 

Texts may be written in Portuguese, Spanish, French and English and will be submitted for independent review by experts on a double blind peer review basis. Further information on the Editorial Policy and the Scientific Review Process and Publication Decision can be found here.

This call is ongoing.

The guidelines for submitting proposals can be found here. 

Articles proposed to Configurações: Revista de Ciências Sociais must be submitted electronically after registering on the platform.