The 5th ISA Forum of Sociology opens in Morocco
Held for the first time in Africa and the Arab world, the Forum is organized by Mohammed V University (UM5) in Rabat, in partnership with the International Sociological Association (ISA) and the Moroccan Sociological Association. The program features nearly 1,329 sessions led by the ISA's 67 research committees and thematic groups.
The event aims to address major contemporary issues, including socio-environmental inequalities, resilience in the face of global crises, and the role of the Global South in shaping international debates.
In his opening remarks, Mohammed Rhachi, president of UM5 in Rabat, described the Forum as a fresh intellectual contribution to building a «Mediterranean, African, and universal Morocco», grounded in knowledge as a driver of development, justice as a foundation for stability, and sociology as a tool for understanding and reform.
Commenting on the Forum's central theme, Rhachi emphasized the need for universities, research centers, and intellectuals to move beyond classical theoretical frameworks and explore new directions for a sociology that interrogates the relationship between humans, society, nature, and knowledge. Beyond its scientific dimension, he added, the Forum seeks to strengthen ties between peoples and establish an ethical foundation for science in the face of current and future challenges.
ISA President Geoffrey Pleyers welcomed the choice of Rabat as host city, calling the gathering a «decisive moment to reaffirm the strategic role of sociology in the face of the planet's multidimensional crises». He stressed that the Forum reflects the ISA's ongoing commitment to «critical, independent, and inclusive research», open to diverse forms of knowledge and experience.
Abdelfattah Ezzine, president of the Forum's local organizing committee and national coordinator of the Moroccan Sociological Association, highlighted the inseparable link between knowledge and governance in achieving meaningful social transformation—both, he argued, essential pillars of sociological action.
The Forum runs until July 11 and is being held across several landmark venues in Rabat, including the Mohammed V National Theatre, the Faculty of Educational Sciences, the Faculty of Legal, Economic and Social Sciences – Souissi, the Mohammadia School of Engineers (EMI), and the National Institute of Statistics and Applied Economics (INSEA), which is also hosting the first Sociological Film Festival as part of the official program.
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