International Sociological Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to scientific purposes in the field of sociology and social sciences. The ISA was founded in 1949 under UNESCO and currently its members come from 109 countries. A non-profit organization (abbreviated NPO, or non-profit or not-for-profit) is an organization whose primary objective is to support an issue or matter of private interest or public concern for non-commercial purposes, without concern for monetary profit. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... The social sciences are groups of academic disciplines that study the human aspects of the world. ... 1949 (MCMXLIX) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1949 calendar). ... UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ...

Its mission is to "represent sociologists everywhere, regardless of their school of thought, scientific approaches or ideological opinion, and to advance sociological knowledge throughout the world."

The ISA is a member of the International Social Science Council with the status of the Non-Governmental Organization in formal associate relations with UNESCO and special consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations. The International Social Science Council (ISSC) is an international organisation that aims to promote the social and behavioural sciences. ... The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) of the United Nations assists the General Assembly in promoting international economic and social cooperation and development. ... The foundation of the U.N. The United Nations (UN) is an international organization whose stated aims are to facilitate co-operation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress and human rights issues. ...

The ISA congress is held every four years, the last of which, the 16th congress, was held in Durban, South Africa. President (2006-2010) is the French Sociologist Michel Wieviorka, Vice President the German Sociologist Hans Joas (University of Erfurt). Michel Wieviorka (born 23 August 1946, Paris) is a French sociologist, noted for his work on violence, terrorism, racism, social movements and the theory of social change. ... Hans Joas (b. ... The University of Erfurt is one of the oldest universities in Germany. ...

List of ISA Congresses

The most visible activity of the ISA is the World Congress which takes place every four years. Its programme and the number of participants have grown rapidly since the first Congress met in Zurich, Switzerland (1950) with just over 100 participants.

The subsequent world congresses were held in

Liège, Belgium (1953) Amsterdam, The Netherlands (1956) Stresa, Italy (1959) Washington D.C.. USA (1962) Evian, France (1966) Varna, Bulgaria (1970) Toronto, Canada (1974) Uppsala, Sweden (1978) Mexico City, Mexico (1982) New Delhi, India (1986) Madrid, Spain (1990) Bielefeld, Germany (1994) Montreal, Canada (1998) Brisbane, Australia (2002) Durban, South Africa (2006)

The forthcoming XVII World Congress of Sociology is scheduled for July 11-17, 2010 in Göteborg, Sweden.

External links

• ISA Homepage