A brief note on my experience at the XII PhD sociology Laboratory in Sydney
Sandra Rios
I was recently selected among 69 applications worldwide and awarded a bursary for the global
competition for participation in the 12th International Sociological Association International
Laboratory for PhD Students, Towards a Global Sociology, organised jointly with the University of
Sydney’s School of Social & Political Sciences from 15 to 20 July 2013.
The program was organised around the presentations of the PhD candidates’ doctoral projects.
There were 12 candidates from different nationalities at different stages of their research studying
diverse topics, which gave a truly international flavour to the Laboratory. We were each given an
hour to present our work. We would receive comments from the participants and especially from
Prof. Dilek Cinddoglu (Chair at the Sociology Department at Mardin Artuklu University, Turkey), Prof.
Vinneta Sinha (Head of South Asian Studies Programme at National University of Singapore), and
Prof. Robert van Krieken (Chair of Department of sociology at University of Sydney). Robert was the
organiser of the conference as well. He ensured that we enjoyed the delightful top quality cuisine in
Sydney, every day of the conference. In addition we had some insightful workshops on ‘writing for
research’ by Dr. Raewyn Connell, and a workshop on ‘writing for publication’ by Christine Inglis,
editor of International Sociology. After this, a visit to Manly Island was planned, where we listened
to a presentation on Immigration in Australian society by Dr. Catriona Elder.
The overarching theme of comments across the different presentations was quality of research and
theoretical clarity. However, some other relevant questions during the workshop were about the
relationship between local and global approaches to the study of social phenomena and the
possibilities of a public sociology in societies as different as Iran, India or Colombia.
My participation in the workshop was a very motivating experience, which probably left me with
more questions than answers. I appreciate the very lively discussions about topics in the field that
exceeded the limits of our own projects and demanded us to think in broader, more complex and
global terms. The ISA Phd Lab is a very valuable experience for young sociologists who want to get
insightful feedback on their research, have a firsthand experience on what is going on in sociology at
very different places in the world, and build meaningful bonds with senior and young researchers
alike, who are all equally passionate about the field of sociology.