Brev från Sociologförbundet till ISA
Den 27 oktober skickade Sociologförbundet ett öppet brev till ISA. Brevet inkluderas nedan, följt av ett svar från ISAs president Geoffrey Players.
Sveriges sociologförbund följer fortsatt frågan inom ISA.
Brev från Sociologförbundet:
Dear Geoffrey Players and Bandana Purkhayasta,
The Swedish Sociological Association recognizes the devastating consequences of the war in Gaza as well as the tragic terrorist attack on civilians in Israel on October 7, 2023. While such events inevitably call for strong reactions worldwide, we want to emphasize that a scientific association is not primarily a political actor and should not be expected to issue condemnations in international conflicts. The role of a sociological association is to safeguard conditions for independent, critical, and empirically grounded sociological research.
When the International Sociological Association decided in June 2025 to expel the Israeli Sociological Association, this decision risked undermining precisely those conditions. Like the German and Austrian Sociological Associations, we believe that sociology as a discipline plays an essential role in fostering societal self-reflection by analysing power relations, inequality, exclusion, inclusion, integration, and social change. Protecting such research is vital to maintaining the open and democratic debate that societies depend upon.
Excluding academic associations on a national basis isolates colleagues who are working under difficult circumstances and weakens the collective capacity of sociology worldwide to contribute to knowledge and critical understanding. For this reason, the Swedish Sociological Association strongly disagrees with the exclusion of the Israeli Sociological Association and instead calls for the ISA to serve as a platform for uniting and defending sociology and sociologists across the world.
With best regards,
Åsa Wettergren, Chair, The Swedish Sociological Association
Rikard Danell, Vice chair, The Swedish Sociological Association
Svar från Geoffrey Pleyers:
Dear President of the Swedish Sociological Association,
Dear colleagues,
Thank you for your letter, which is well-received and will be transmitted to the members of the ISA executive committee. As I wrote on several occasions, there are good arguments in favour and against the suspension of the ISS. The arguments by the Swedish associations will be considered, and I hope you will take an active part in the ongoing deliberation and voting process.
Please take note of the fact that, contrary to what is mentioned in your letter, the ISS has not been expelled from the ISA, but temporarily suspended and that we count in the Swedish association to take an active part in the deliberation process and the vote by the Council of National Associations.
As you have been informed, the deliberation about the suspension of the Israeli Sociological Association is currently ongoing among the delegates of the National Associations in the Executive Committee and a vote will take place during the Council of National Association, that will take place in December in Pune, India.
Allow me to add some personal words: As I have explained in Rabat and in the letter to the members (https://www.isa-sociology.org/en/about-isa/executive-committee/presidential-corner-23/lfp-presidential-letter-august-2025), the suspension was not an easy decision and is, by nature, temporary. In the meantime, I maintain regular contact with Israeli and Palestinian sociologists and encourage every sociologist and national association to do so.
You may find additional information on the ongoing deliberation process, on the ISA decision and on my own position in this reply to an article by the president of the Austrian Sociological Association.
Don’t hesitate to contact me for any further information.
Best regards,
Geoffrey