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

This panel focuses on the representations of the future, both at the societal and global levels. Representations of future entail human knowledge, ideas and expectations, prognostic and futurological conceptions, transformations reflected by social geography and demography, and disputes on environmental issues. Representations of future also depend on civilization, religion, economic and political development, and changes in human settlements and lifestyles.

The topic is pivotal in contemporary social life, for representations of the future can profoundly affect collective sentiments and social actions, especially political participations.

The main assumption is that the current representations of the future are the outcome of long and complex historical processes: economic and cultural changes through the years can shape the deepest cultural assumptions of any cultural context, especially the ideas of time. For instance, late in 19th century, important scientific discoveries and technological inventions were the basis for a strong faith in the progress, while, in the 1970s, the Oil shock, the publication of the report ‘the Limits of Growth’ by the Club of Rome etc., disrupted any trust in the years to come.

The panel welcomes paper that give a contribution in understanding the processes that shape the representation of the futures, or how at work in the world around us that are shaping the contours of what the world of the future will be built upon.