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

The emergence of the concept of "left-behind regions" is closely linked to the recent rise of populism, characterized by the ascent of far-right ideologies and violent and/or social movements such as Yellow Vests in France or Brexit in the UK. These phenomena highlight the resurgence of the "spatial question", revealing the fractures in the dominant model of globalization and metropolization. In this new landscape, marginalized populations in these neglected areas are rebeiling against the dominance of metropolitan elites, fueling the rise of populist and nationalist political movements.

This session aims to discuss the concept of left-behind places, using examples from both the North and South. It aims to highlight the different aspects that this left behindness takes on, such as demographic decline, industrialization, closure of public services etc. But it also invites us to question what these characteristics produce in these regions? If populism and resentment are well studied in the global North, what cases in the global South could also inform us about the reconceptualization of "places left behind" or the limits of the concept.

This session is open to empirical research articles, as well as more literary or theoretical papers.