2nd Centre for Social Relations Conference, Coventry University

“Social Relations, Transformation and Trust”
Friday 28th – Saturday 29th March
Centre for Social Relations, Coventry University

Both national and local communities have long been heterogeneous and therefore living with differences is not new. However, the scope, scale and pace of change in recent years are unprecedented. Over the last decades the UK have seen dramatic demographic shifts, e.g. in its ethnic composition, demographic and socio-economic distribution leading to an increasingly plural society.

By crossing disciplines, bridging and bringing together academia, policy makers and practitioners, this conference focuses on how societies cope with change, overcome inequality, and how resilience to negative impacts of change can be developed and harnessed through attention to social relations and trust as transformative agents.

We are inviting academics from social sciences and humanities as well as practitioners to present and discuss applied research, empirical studies and critical theoretical papers on the topics including, but not limited to:
• Social relations and social cohesion: Living together in diverse and changing societies.
• Trust processes and impact in organisations: The importance of trust in creating communities better prepared to deal with change.
• Tensions within communities: Understanding the causes and consequences of tensions between and within local communities
• Inter-group conflict and building peace: Processes contributing to inter-group conflict and building trust.
• Knowledge Transfer: What do practitioners and policy makers need from academia? Generating real world impact.

Keynote Speakers Include:
Prof. Danny Dorling School of Geography and the Environment, University of Oxford

Nature of the conference
As an applied research centre our work focuses not only on academic work leading to evidenced based recommendations for policy, but also on knowledge exchange with partnership organizations. This will be reflected in the conference programme. Next to focusing on current academic discussions this conference will facilitate opportunities for direct exchange between policy makers, practitioners and academics. To facilitate personal face to face interactions, fruitful exchange of knowledge and ideas, as well as vivid discussions, this conference will have a small number of parallel sessions per day and therefore a limited number of delegates presenting.

Submission Guidelines:
Abstract for individual papers should be no more than 250 words, not contain footnotes and be comprehensible to a non-specialist audience. Please submit by 31.1.2014 to:
socialrelations@coventry.ac.uk

Presentations will be grouped into thematic sessions of 90min – 2 hours length, with three or four papers per session (20 minutes per presentation plus 10 minutes discussion). Panel submissions to deepen discussion around one topic of interests are also welcome. If you would like to submit a panel, please submit:
• Title of the panel including the name and affiliation of each speakers
• Abstract for the panel
• Abstract for each presentation

Proposals for alternative types of session (e.g. round-table or witness seminar) are strongly encouraged. Please discuss this with us in advance of the Call for Papers deadline. The Centre for Social Relations is committed to academic development and the showcasing of new ideas and thoughts, therefore submissions from early career researchers are particularly welcome and attendance may be subsidised.
For further information or questions please contact Dr. Carola Leicht, carola.leicht@coventry.ac.uk, or visit our centre’s webpage www.socialrelations.org.uk

—
Dr Rebecca Catto
Research Fellow, Centre for Social Relations, Coventry University
Convenor, British Sociological Association Sociology of Religion Study Group
Visiting Fellow, Faiths and Civil Society Unit, Goldsmiths, University of London
Follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/RebeccaCatto