The International Chinese Sociological Association (ICSA) is pleased to announce to hold its 6th Annual Conference in Philadelphia, USA. from August 17 to 18, 2023 (Eastern Standard Time). The conference will be co-organized by the ICSA and Center for the Study of Contemporary China at the University of Pennsylvania. 

Since December 2019, the COVID-19 pandemic has swept across the globe sparing no continents, no countries. To date, the virus is estimated to have caused 675.7 million confirmed cases and 6.9 million deaths around the world. This public health crisis has exerted unprecedented disruptions on major social institutions - brought the global economy to its knees, causing a near-universal school closure for periods, lockdown or social distancing that forced most adults to work from home and children to have home-based care and learning. Geopolitical relations among nations have also intensified as a result. These are multiple major shocks to societies that happened simultaneously that the world had rarely experienced in the history. China’s more drastic zero-covid policy undoubtedly has affected the country’s institutions and individuals as well as the world’s socioeconomic development immensely. 

This conference seeks to advance understanding about the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in multiple aspects and their implications for future development, and to envision ways to rebuild the society. Topics of interest include but not limited to the impact on individuals’ physical and mental health, demographic behavior, community cohesion, family and individual resilience, gender relations, children’s learning and behavior, economic development, and international relations. How individuals and subgroups of the population are affected unequally is a central concern. 

The ICSA program committee welcomes submissions on topics related to this main theme, as well as on other topics, both theoretical work and empirical analysis. Papers offering comparative perspectives and cross-disciplinary approaches are particularly welcome. Both complete papers and extended paper abstracts in English will be considered. Extended abstracts must contain sufficient details to suggest timely completion (normally, 5 pages or more). Please provide all authors’ names, organizational affiliations, and email addresses.

Graduate students are invited to compete for the ICSA 2023 Nan Lin Graduate Student Paper Award. One paper (published or unpublished) will be selected and the award will be announced in the conference and presented with a plaque and a check of USD 500 (by mail).

The ICSA Paper Submission Information Site will be available on March 10, 2023, at https://icsa-sociology.org. The submission deadline is May 15 (Monday), 2023. In the event of any technical difficulties, submissions may be emailed to master@icsociology.org.