We are pleased to announce that BSA members have elected Professor Imogen Tyler as our next Vice President.
Imogen is Professor of Sociology in the School of Social Sciences at Lancaster University, and is internationally renowned for her contributions to social theory and the sociology of inequalities.
Her research, which has had global reach, addresses questions of stigma, social abjection, social (in)justice, activism and social movements, social class, poverty and welfare, race and racisms, borders and citizenship.
On being elected, Imogen said:
It is an honour to be elected to this role by fellow BSA members. I welcome the opportunity to give back to the discipline in which I found an intellectual home. I am looking forward to working alongside President Les Back, and supporting BSA trustees, advisors and employees.
As I write these words, I am keenly aware of the enormous challenges and pressures that many colleagues working in the UK Higher Education sector are enduring. These conditions are having significant impacts upon our discipline. Some colleagues have lost their jobs, others are under threat of redundancy, and early-career scholars and postgraduates are wondering what the future holds. I also want to acknowledge wider tumultuous global events, including the impacts of wars, violence and deeply divisive politics and policies upon our societies, communities and families.
I strongly believe that sociology has a pivotal role to play in helping societies navigate the multifarious crisis of late capitalism. As foundational sociologist, W.E.B Du Bois, demonstrated through his life and work, sociology can and does make a difference. There have been many hopeful transformations in our discipline in recent decades. Sociology has become more global and connected as it has begun to take seriously the social and environmental legacies of colonial capitalism. It has also become a more public-facing discipline, as many more of us have embraced new forms of engagement. At its heart, sociology helps identify, address and translate social problems, and enables us to evidence and challenge inequalities and injustices. By nurturing the sociological imagination in the classroom, by co-producing knowledge with communities, by influencing policymakers and more, we will continue to work together towards more just social futures.
Imogen will begin her term as Vice President immediately. She will spend the year working alongside Professor Les Back, before stepping into the role of President of the British Sociological Association in 2027.
