5th ISA Forum of Sociology (6-11 July 2025)

Wars have a profound and lasting impact on societies, not only in terms of physical destruction and human suffering but also in their reshaping of social structures and dynamics. The outbreak of conflicts often triggers a complex interplay of factors that exacerbate existing inequalities and create new ones, while also presenting opportunities for social transformation and the pursuit of a more just and equitable society. This session aims bring together senior and junior researchers, to explore the multifaceted effects of war on social structures, focusing on both resilience and change within societal structures. How war reshapes social hierarchies and the distribution of opportunities? Key questions to be addressed include:

• Emergence of Salient Social Groups and Inequalities: Which social groups and inequalities gain prominence in the Anthropocene, exacerbated by war?
• How do war-related factors influence the formation, maintenance, and transformation of social classes?
• Shifting Gender Roles: How are gender roles and relations reconfigured in war-torn societies?
• How does war affect settlement patterns and regional structures of inequalities?
• Education Inequality Amplification: What education-related inequalities are intensified during conflicts and how can they be addressed?
• Social Capital's Role in Exacerbating or Mitigating Inequalities: What role does social capital play in mediating the impact of war on social inequalities?
• Civil Activism and Deliberative Democracy for Equitable Post-War Development: What are the opportunities and challenges for civil activism and deliberative democracy in achieving fair decision-making processes for post-war societal development?

We invite contributions that address these themes through empirical research and theoretical analyses.