Development and Social Transformation In Asia: States, Markets, Inequalities, and Futures

Asia has been central to some of the most important development transformations of the modern era. Developmental states, export-led growth, rapid urbanization, and environmental change have all made the region an important site for rethinking development sociology. The 2027 ISA World Congress in South Korea offers a timely opportunity to foreground Asia-specific scholarship and comparative work rooted in the region.

This session invites papers on development and social transformation in Asia, broadly understood. We welcome research from across the region and its transnational connections. The session is especially interested in papers that treat Asian cases not only as empirical examples, but as sites for generating concepts, theories, and critiques of development itself.