Dear Colleagues,
With the Australian annual Sociological Association conference in November, now is the best time to combine work and pleasure in Australia.
This year’s TASA Conference promises to be special. With world-class keynote and plenary speakers and a choice of 13 special interest groups, our theme, Neoliberalism and Contemporary Challenges for the Asia Pacific, will give space for world-class thinkers in sociology and related fields to interrogate the impact of neoliberalism on the lives of people around the world. We seek to understand the global effects of neoliberalism, especially how it is experienced in different local contexts. What challenges and opportunities does neoliberalism present, and how does sociology respond to those challenges?
But the location of this year’s conference gives this conference the edge. We proudly invite you and your family to visit the vibrant and beautiful Cairns. Our venue, the Shangri-La Hotel offers five star care at off-season rates. Containing the conference and delegate accommodation, the Shangri-La facilities are generous, cool and picturesque and break-out rooms have views on the tropical gardens or famous marina and gateway to the Great Barrier Reef. Family friendly room, restaurants and pools in a tropical setting will satisfy delegates’ accompanying families.
The hotel is on the Cairns Marina where you can take a tour out to the Great Barrier Reef, or hire a car and tour the World Heritage Rainforests. Within a couple of hours is the Daintree Forest. For more intrepid adventurers, Cairns is the gateway to the Cape York Peninsula, and the Gulf of Carpentaria, home to unsurpassed cultural and ecological heritage.
There is so much being planned for this year’s conference, with post-conference tours, Women’s Breakfast, a fun conference dinner that (by demand) promises dancing, and networking opportunities with stimulating company. With the Aussie Dollar continuing to fall, this is the time to to plan your next trip to Australia.
Check the conference website for full information, and note the key dates in your diary – postgraduate papers are due by 31 July; all abstracts are due by 28 August; early bird registration closes 2 October; and all presenters must be registered by 23 October. Our timeline won’t allow for any extensions so get your papers and abstracts in!
Warm regards
Theresa Petray and Anne Stephens
TASA2016 Conveners