{{Short description|Learned society}} {{More citations needed|date=April 2016}} {{Use dmy dates|date=April 2022}} {{Infobox organization | name = British Sociological Association | pronunciation = | native_name = | native_name_lang = | named_after = | image = | image_size = | image_alt = | caption = | logo = | logo_size = | logo_alt = | logo_caption = | map = | map_size = | map_alt = | map_caption = | abbreviation = | predecessor = | merged_into = | successor = | formation = {{start date and age|1951}} | founder = | founding_location = | extinction = <!-- use {{end date and age|YYYY|MM|DD}} --> | merger = | type = Registered charity | vat_id = | registration_id = 1080235 | status = | purpose = | headquarters = Chancery Court, Belmont Business Park, Durham DH1 1TW | location = | coordinates = <!-- {{coord|LAT|LON|display=inline, title}} --> | region_served = | services = Scholarly and professional society for [[sociologists]] in the [[United Kingdom]] | products = | methods = | fields = | num_members = | num_members_year = | language = | owner = <!-- or | owners = --> | secretary_general = | leader_title = | leader_name = | board_of_directors = | key_people = | main_organ = | parent_organization = | subsidiaries = | secessions = | affiliations = | budget = | budget_year = | revenue = | revenue_year = | disbursements = | expenses = | expenses_year = | endowment = | endowment_year = | num_staff = | num_staff_year = | num_volunteers = | num_volunteers_year = | slogan = | mission = | website = https://www.britsoc.co.uk | remarks = | former_name = | footnotes = }} The '''British Sociological Association''' ('''BSA''') is a scholarly and professional society for [[sociologists]] in the [[United Kingdom]]. Founded in 1951, the BSA is the national subject association for sociology in the UK. It publishes the academic journals ''[[Sociology (journal)|Sociology]]'', ''[[Work, Employment & Society|Work, Employment and Society, Sociological Research Online]]'' and ''[[Cultural Sociology (journal)|Cultural Sociology]]'' (with [[SAGE Publications]]) as well as its membership magazine ''Network'' and a monthly eNewsletter.
==History== Prior to the foundation of the British Sociological Association, other societies and organisations relevant to social sciences existed in the UK. These included the British Association for the Advancement of Science (1833), which became the Royal Statistical Society, and the National Association for the Promotion of Social Science (1857).<ref>Platt, J. (2014). A Sociological History of the British Sociological Association. sociologypress. pp.4-6</ref>
[[Victor Branford]] originated the idea of founding a British Sociological Society, aiming to use it as a vehicle to promote the ideas of [[Patrick Geddes]].<ref name="auto5">Platt, J. (2014). A Sociological History of the British Sociological Association. sociologypress. pg.8</ref><ref>Scott, J., & Husbands, C. T. (2007). Victor Branford and the building of British sociology. The Sociological Review, 55(3), 460-484.</ref> This led to the founding of The Sociological Society in 1903.<ref name="auto5"/> The faction of the society concerned with supporting [[eugenics]] broke off to form The Eugenics Society in 1907.<ref>Platt, J. (2014). A Sociological History of the British Sociological Association. sociologypress. pg.9</ref>
In 1907–8, a group formed within The Sociological Society which focussed on geography and urban planning.<ref name="auto2">Platt, J. (2014). A Sociological History of the British Sociological Association. sociologypress. pg.10</ref> Several years later, the British Medical Association had developed a medical sociology section by 1913, this primarily concerned itself with eugenics and disease hereditability.<ref name="auto2"/> The Sociological Society eventually reformed into The Institute of Sociology.<ref name="auto2"/>
===Founding and early years=== The British Sociological Association initially grew out of activities at the [[London School of Economics]], which had produced the first posts in sociology in the United Kingdom in 1907 and become a significant hub of activity.<ref>Platt, J. (2002). The history of the British sociological association. International sociology, 17(2), 179-198.</ref>
On May 16, 1951, ''The Times'' newspaper published a letter which announced the founding of the British Sociological Association.<ref>Banks, J. A. (1967). The British Sociological Association—The First Fifteen Years. Sociology, 1(1). pg .1.</ref> The signatories to this letter wrote that: {{Blockquote |text="The scope of the association has deliberately been made very wide, in order to bring together all those who are interested in the sociological aspects of their own special subjects. It is intended to cover in this way, not only contemporary, historical, and comparative studies of social structure in the widest sense, but also social philosophy, psychology, and biology, human geography, and such special fields as demography and criminology. The association plans to bring representatives of these various fields together in periodic national conferences and also in regular local meetings in London and the provinces".<ref>Banks, J. A. (1967). The British Sociological Association—The First Fifteen Years. Sociology, 1(1). pg.1.</ref> }}
The signatories to this first letter announcing the founding of the association were: [[Alexander Carr-Saunders]], [[David Glass (sociologist)|David Glass]], [[V. Gordon Childe]], [[Raymond Firth]], M. Fortes, [[Morris Ginsberg]], T. H. Marshall, T. H. Pear, [[W. J. H. Sprott]], T. S. Simey, [[Richard Titmuss]], [[Barbara Wootton, Baroness Wootton of Abinger|Barbara Wootton]], and R. J Goodman.<ref>Banks, J. A. (1967). The British Sociological Association—The First Fifteen Years. Sociology, 1(1). pp.1-2</ref>
The London School of Economics allocated office space to the running of the British Sociological Association in addition to secretarial support.<ref name="auto3">Platt, J. (2002). The history of the British Sociological Association. International sociology, 17(2), 179-198.</ref> In these early years, the British Sociological Association received funding from the [[Nuffield Foundation]].<ref name="auto3"/>
By the end of 1951, the British Sociological Association had a membership of approximately 500 - with just 35% employed in universities.<ref name="auto1">Platt, J. (2002). The history of the British Sociological Association. International sociology, 17(2), p.182.</ref> Early membership primarily reflected the organisation's anchoring in London, with 60% of the 1958 membership based in London.<ref name="auto1"/> Early on, the executive frequently involved members from allied-disciplines such as social anthropology.<ref name="auto1"/> For example, John Barnes, J. C. Mitchell, Peter Worsley each began their careers as anthropologists and all went on to hold positions as BSA president or be the holder of a major chair.<ref name="auto4">Calhoun, C. (1987). History and Sociology in Britain. A review article. Comparative Studies in Society and History, 29(3), pg.617.</ref> In [[Craig Calhoun]]'s opinion, this reflected an inversion of the contemporaneous US dynamic where anthropology departments were "under the domination of larger, more powerful sociology departments".<ref name="auto4"/>
During the mid-century period, the association's approach to sociology was entangled with the development of the [[Welfare state in the United Kingdom|welfare state]] - many of the BSA's early members were actively involved as advisors during the growth of the welfare state.<ref>Platt, J. (2002). The history of the British Sociological Association. International sociology, 17(2), p.183.</ref>
The British Sociological Association held its first conference at [[Queen Elizabeth College]] (then part of the University of London) from 27 to 29 March 1953.<ref name="auto">Marshall, T. H. (1953). Conference of the British Sociological Association, 1953. I Impressions of the Conference. The British Journal of Sociology, 4(3), 201-209.</ref> The theme of this first conference was 'Social Policy and the Social Sciences'.<ref name="auto"/> It was attended by 233 people, of whom 125 were association members.<ref name="auto"/> The Scottish branch of the British Sociological Association held its first working conference in Edinburgh in February 1955.<ref name="First Scots Gathering' 1955. p.3">'Sociologists In Conference - First Scots Gathering'. ''The Glasgow Herald''. 21 Feb 1955. p.3</ref> The conference was chaired by Edinburgh University's [[Kenneth Little]].<ref name="First Scots Gathering' 1955. p.3"/>
==Organisation== The British Sociological Association contains several subgroups. The [[medical sociology]] group was founded in 1969.<ref>{{cite web | title=British Sociological Association: Medical Sociology Group | url=https://mrc-catalogue.warwick.ac.uk/records/MSG }}</ref> According to the BSA, the medical sociology group "promotes scholarship and communication in the field of the sociology of health and illness" and is "one of the largest and most active study groups of the BSA"<ref>{{cite web | title=Medical Sociology (MedSoc) Study Group | url=https://www.britsoc.co.uk/groups/medical-sociology-groups/medical-sociology-medsoc-study-group/ }}</ref>
===Administration and governance=== The BSA is a registered charitable company (charity no: 1080235).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/charity-search/-/charity-details/3970748|title=THE BRITISH SOCIOLOGICAL ASSOCIATION - Charity 1080235|website=charitycommission.gov.uk}}</ref> The activities of the BSA are overseen by the board of trustees which is the decision-making body responsible for setting and implementing strategy. An Advisory Forum, including representatives from all of the constituencies within the Association and the BSA President, provides a two-way channel for information exchange between the members of the Association and the Trustees.{{citation needed|date=September 2025}} An office of 10 staff members takes care of the day-to-day running of the Association.{{citation needed|date=September 2025}}
==Presidents== *Rachel Brooks 2024– *[[Gurminder K. Bhambra]] 2022–2023 *[[Susan Halford]], 2018–2021 *[[Lynn Jamieson]], 2014–2018 *[[John Holmwood]], 2012–2014 *[[John Brewer (sociologist)|John Brewer]], 2009–2012 *[[Sue Scott (sociologist)|Sue Scott]], 2007–2009 *[[Geoff Payne]], 2005–2007 *[[Joan Busfield]], 2003–2005 *[[John Scott (sociologist)|John Scott]], 2001–2003 *[[Sara Arber]], 1999–2001 *[[David Morgan (sociologist)|David Morgan]], 1997–1999 *[[Stuart Hall (cultural theorist)|Stuart Hall]], 1995–1997 *[[Michèle Barrett]], 1993–1995 *[[John Westergaard (sociologist)|John Westergaard]], 1991–1993 *[[Robert Burgess (sociologist)|Sir Robert Burgess]], 1989–1991 *[[Jennifer Platt]], 1987–1989 *[[Martin Albrow]], 1985–1987 *[[Richard Brown (sociologist)|Richard Brown]], 1983–1985 *[[Margaret Stacey]], 1981–1983 *[[John Eldridge (sociologist)|John Eldridge]], 1979–1981 *[[Keith Kelsall]], 1977–1979 *[[Sheila Allen (sociologist)|Sheila Allen]], 1975–1977 *[[Peter Worsley]], 1971–1975 *[[Tom Bottomore]], 1969–1971 *[[Thomas Humphrey Marshall|T. H. Marshall]], 1964–1969 *[[Barbara Wootton, Baroness Wootton of Abinger]], 1959–1964 *[[Morris Ginsberg]], 1955–1957
==Publications== ===Academic journals=== The BSA publishes ''[[Sociology (journal)|Sociology]]'',<ref>{{cite web | title = Sociology: About | url = https://www.sagepub.com/journals/Journal201569/title | publisher = [[SAGE Publishing|Sage]] | date = 2015-10-29 }}</ref> ''[[Work, Employment & Society|Work, Employment and Society]]'',<ref>{{cite web | title = Work, Employment and Society: About | url = https://www.sagepub.com/journals/Journal201568/title | publisher = [[SAGE Publishing|Sage]]| date = 2015-10-28 }}</ref> ''[[Cultural Sociology (journal)|Cultural Sociology]]'',<ref>{{cite web | title = Cultural Sociology: About | url = https://www.sagepub.com/journals/Journal201779/title | publisher = [[SAGE Publishing|Sage]]| date = 2015-10-28 }}</ref> and ''[[Sociological Research Online]]''.
===''Network'' magazine=== The Association publishes a magazine, ''Network'', for its members three times a year, Spring, Summer and Autumn.<ref>{{cite web | title = ''Network'' - your newsletter | url = https://www.britsoc.co.uk/publications/network.aspx | website = britsoc.co.uk | publisher = British Sociological Association}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | title = Issue 118 (free sample copy) | journal = Network | url = https://www.britsoc.co.uk/media/23805/network_winter_2014.pdf | publisher = BSA Publications Ltd | date = Winter 2014 | issn = 1742-1616 | oclc = 500169831 }}</ref>
==Awards== ===Philip Abrams Memorial Prize=== The Philip Abrams Memorial Prize has been awarded almost every year since 1989 for "the best first and sole-authored book within the discipline of Sociology".<ref name="pam-prize-about">{{cite web |title=BSA Philip Abrams Memorial Prize |url=https://www.britsoc.co.uk/opportunities/bsa-philip-abrams-memorial-prize/ |publisher=British Sociological Association |access-date=26 November 2018}}</ref> The prize is named for professor [[Philip Abrams (sociologist)|Philip Abrams]] (1933–1981).<ref name="aston">{{cite journal |last1=Aston |first1=T.H. |date=1 February 1982 |title=Philip Abrams 1933-1981 |url=https://academic.oup.com/past/article-abstract/94/1/158/1461947?redirectedFrom=PDF |journal=Past & Present |issue=94 |page=158 |doi=10.1093/past/94.1.158 |access-date=26 November 2018|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Past winners include:<ref>{{Cite web |title=Philip Abrams Memorial Prize Archive |url=https://www.britsoc.co.uk/opportunities/bsa-philip-abrams-memorial-prize/philip-abrams-memorial-prize-archive/ |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=www.britsoc.co.uk}}</ref>
* [[Barbara Adam]] (1991, for ''Time and Social Theory'') * Bridget Anderson (2001, for ''Doing the Dirty Work? The Global Politics of Domestic Labour'') * [[Graeme Kirkpatrick]] (2005, for ''Critical Technology: A Social Theory of Personal Computing'') * [[Gurminder K. Bhambra|Gurminder K Bhambra]] (2008, for ''Rethinking Modernity: Postcolonialism and the Sociological Imagination'') * Rhoda Wilkie (2011, for ''Livestock/Deadstock'')<ref>{{cite web | title=Rhoda Wilkie receives the British Sociological Association's Philip Abrams Memorial Prize | date=20 July 2011 | url=https://templepress.wordpress.com/2011/07/20/rhoda-wilkie-receives-the-british-sociological-associations-philip-abrams-memorial-prize/ }}</ref> * Monika Krause (2015, for ''The Good Project: Humanitarian Relief NGOs and the Fragmentation of Reason'') * [[Maddie Breeze]] (2016, for ''Seriousness and Women's Roller Derby: Gender, Organization and Ambivalence'').<ref name="pam-prize-archive">{{cite web |title=Philip Abrams Memorial Prize Archive |url=https://www.britsoc.co.uk/opportunities/bsa-philip-abrams-memorial-prize/philip-abrams-memorial-prize-archive/ |publisher=British Sociological Association |access-date=26 November 2018}}</ref> * Paul Ian Campbell (2017, for ''Football, Ethnicity and Community: The Life of An African-Caribbean Football Club'') * Lucy Mayblin (2018, for ''After Empire: Colonial Legacies in the Politics of Asylum Seekers'') * Remy Joseph-Salisbury (2019, for ''Black Mixed-Race Men: Transatlanticity, Hybridity and 'Post-Racial' Resilience'' * Anna Bull (2020, for ''Class Control and Classical Music'') * Luke de Noronha (2021, for ''Deporting Black Britons: Portraits of Deportation to Jamaica'') * Natasha Carver (2022, for ''Marriage, Gender and Refugee Migration: Spousal Relationships among Somali Muslims in the United Kingdom)''<ref>{{Cite web |last1=www.Rainbird.Digital |first1=Site Design-Rainbird Digital- |last2=BSA |date=2022-04-20 |title=Philip Abrams Memorial Prize – Winners Announcement - Everyday Society |url=https://es.britsoc.co.uk/philip-abrams-memorial-prize-winners-announcement-3/ |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=The British Sociological Association |language=en-GB}}</ref> * Christoph Wu (2023, for ''Central Banks in Organizational Networks: Entangled Market Actors'')<ref>{{Cite web |last1=www.Rainbird.Digital |first1=Site Design-Rainbird Digital- |last2=BSA |date=2023-04-14 |title=Sophisticated book on central banks wins Philip Abrams Memorial Prize - Everyday Society |url=https://es.britsoc.co.uk/sophisticated-book-on-central-banks-wins-philip-abrams-memorial-prize/ |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=The British Sociological Association |language=en-GB}}</ref> * Sarah Kunz (2024, ''Expatriate: Following A Migration Category'')<ref>{{Cite web |last1=www.Rainbird.Digital |first1=Site Design-Rainbird Digital- |last2=BSA |date=2024-03-25 |title='Eclectic and remarkable' book about expatriates wins Philip Abrams Memorial Prize - Everyday Society |url=https://es.britsoc.co.uk/eclectic-and-remarkable-book-about-expatriates-wins-philip-abrams-memorial-prize/ |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=The British Sociological Association |language=en-GB}}</ref> * Billy Holzberg (2025, ''Affective Bordering: Race, Deservingness and the Emotional Politics of Migration Control'')<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.britsoc.co.uk/media-centre/press-releases/2025/april/book-that-studies-germany-after-the-arrival-of-more-than-a-million-migrants-in-2015-wins-prestigious-prize/ |access-date=2025-05-20 |website=www.britsoc.co.uk}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist|30em}}
==External links== *[http://www.britsoc.co.uk/ British Sociological Association web site] *[https://archive.today/20121223005506/http://archives.lse.ac.uk/Record.aspx?src=CalmView.Catalog&id=BSA Catalogue of the papers of the British Sociological Association] at the Archives Division of the London School of Economics *[https://mrc.epexio.com/records/MSG Catalogue of the BSA Medical Sociology Group archives], held at the [[Modern Records Centre, University of Warwick]] {{Authority control}}
[[Category:British Sociological Association| ]] [[Category:1951 establishments in the United Kingdom]] [[Category:Academic organisations based in the United Kingdom]] [[Category:Learned societies of the United Kingdom]] [[Category:Organisations based in County Durham]] [[Category:Scientific organizations established in 1951]] [[Category:Sociological organizations]]