APSA Background

Asia Pacific Sociological Association Conference (APSA), Ateneo de Manila University, Quezon City, Metro Manila, Oct. 22-24, 2012

Conference Theme: Sociology and Social Transformations in the Asia Pacific region

The first Asia Pacific Sociological Association (APSA) Conference was held at the Philippine Social Science Center under the leadership of Prof. John Western (University of Queensland), Prof. Corazon Lamug (Philippine Sociological Society), and Dr. Virginia Miralao (Philippine Social Science Council) and a number of sociology colleagues from the Asia Pacific region in 1996. Since then conferences have been held at least every two years in South Korea, Australia, Japan, Malaysia, Thailand, Indonesia and Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. Each conference has a specific theme which addresses the development of sociological research and scholarship in the Asia-Pacific region.

The 2012 APSA Conference will be held in Quezon City, Metro Manila at the School of Social Sciences, Ateneo de Manila University.

For more information about the APSA, please visit their site at http://www.apsa-sociology.org/

Presidents of APSA

1. Emeritus Professor John Western (Australia) : 1996-1999
2. Professor Kenji Kosaka (Japan) : 1999-2002
3. Professor Dae-Yeun Jeong (South Korea) : 2002-2004
4. Professor Santhat Sermsri (Thailand): 2004-2009.
5. Associate Professor Ruchira Ganguly Scrase (Australia) : 2009 – present

APSA and the Goals

APSA, the Asia Pacific Sociological Association is an academic association established in 1996 having goals as follow:

1. to establish a network to link sociological associations, sociology departments and individual sociologists in the Asia Pacific region;
2. to provide information and contacts using such means as the Internet, email and newsletters;
3. to act as a clearinghouse for co-operation in teaching, research and other professional activities;
4. to promote and assist the publication of social research focusing upon the region;
5. to encourage co-operation between sociologists, planners and policy makers at both the regional and community level;
6. to hold regular regional conferences, seminars and workshops;
7. to establish and maintain an on-line journal concerning issues in the Asia Pacific region to sociologists worldwide; and
8. to establish and maintain a website to better promote the concerns deemed most important by the association membership.