Call for Papers
VSJF Section "Sociology & Social Anthropology"
Annual Conference of the German Association for Social Science Research on Japan (VSJF)
University of Vienna, November 7-9, 2025

Dear colleagues,

The annual conference of the German Association for Social Science Research on Japan (VSJF) will take place from November 7-9, 2025, at the University of Vienna, under the theme:
"(Un)Democratic Futures: Japan and the Global Trajectories towards an (Un)Equal World."
More information, including the program and registration details, can be found here: https://vsjf2025.univie.ac.at/.

As part of the conference, the section meeting "Sociology & Social Anthropology" will be held on Saturday, November 8, 2025, from 09:00 to 11:00 (CET) / 17:00 to 19:00 (JST) (subject to change). The meeting will take place in a hybrid format, enabling participation from different time zones.

English will serve as the lingua franca of our section meeting to ensure broad participation and exchange among researchers from Germany, Europe, Japan, and beyond.

The Sociology & Social Anthropology section serves as a forum for the presentation and discussion of ongoing research, dissertation projects, and "work in progress." We particularly encourage submissions from early-career researchers and students but also welcome contributions from more established scholars as well as practitioners outside academia. Our aim is to provide a supportive space for presenting work, raising methodological and theoretical questions, and receiving constructive feedback.

Submission Guidelines     

• Please submit a short abstract (max. 500 words) for a presentation of 20-30 minutes.
• Deadline for submission: September 30, 2025
• Submit to: sociology@vsjf.net
• In your submission, please also indicate whether you plan to attend in person in Vienna or online.

A joint program overview of all VSJF section meetings will be published in October 2025, along with further information on online participation.

We look forward to your contributions and an engaging discussion at this year's meeting in Vienna.

With best regards,
Carola Hommerich & Steve R. Entrich
Convenors, VSJF Section Sociology & Social Anthropology

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Dr. Steve R. Entrich

PI SNSF Project JTEPS

Social Science Japan Research

Institute of Asian and Oriental Studies (AOI)

University of Zurich

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Office:       ZUB 4 418

Mobile:     +49 (0)173 1920794

E-Mail:     steve.entrich@aoi.uzh.ch  

Webpage (ResearchGate): https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Steve_Entrich  

Latest Publications

Entrich, Steve R. (2025): The impact of Japan's "Top Global University Project" on study abroad uptake and social inequalities therein: A multilevel analysis. CSRDA Discussion Papers No. 115. https://csrda.iss.u-tokyo.ac.jp/international/dp/No.115.pdf

Dell'Anna, Silvia, Steve R. Entrich & Joanne Banks (2025): Assessing the outcomes of students with Special Educational Needs in Inclusive Education? A comparative study of Germany, Ireland and Italy. Prospects. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11125-025-09730-2

Entrich, Steve R., Nicolai Netz & Ryoji Matsuoka (2024): The role of institutional contexts for inequalities in study abroad intent and participation. Higher Education 88, 1275-2303. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10734-023-01170-1

Gniewosz, Gabriele, Steve R. Entrich & Alfred Berger [eds.] (2024): Youth in Times of Crisis: Societal and Individual Challenges in Becoming an Adult Today. Special issue of Zeitschrift für Bildungsforschung 14(4). https://link.springer.com/collections/ibaejdiede

Floiger, Madeleine, Steve R. Entrich & Wolfgang Lauterbach (2024): Against all odds - Factors explaining unexpected educational advancement of students from educationally disadvantaged families. Zeitschrift für Bildungsforschung. https://doi.org/10.1007/s35834-024-00439-4