MORALITES Special Issue CfP
📢 The call for papers for our Special issue on Moral elites is out now!
💡 We are organizing two online workshops for paper development in the spring for those interested in submitting a paper.
✨Call for Papers✨
Acta Sociologica is happy to publish the call for papers for a new special issue on moral elites which will be guest-edited by Anders Sevelsted and Milka Ivanovska Hadjievska!
This special issue aims to advance our knowledge of moral elites – elite groups that articulate and disseminate key societal ideas – in order to qualify discussions of who holds definitional power in society.
Who are the elite groups that shape our collective imagination? How can we define and conceptualize these groups? Who creates the moral hierarchies or pushes the boundaries of right and wrong? How do elite groups ensure the impact of their ideas? What divisions, struggles, and collaborations do we see among moral elites? How do moral elites differ across national and/or temporal contexts? These and other questions will be addressed in this special issue for which we invite both sociological and interdisciplinary approaches (e.g. historical studies and public policy studies). We welcome theoretical reflections as well as empirical investigations.
Papers can be short (up to 5,000 words), long (10,000 words) or commentaries (1,000 words).
If you have questions about the call or whether your idea would fit the special issue, you are welcome to contact the guest editors Anders Sevelsted (se.bhl@cbs.dk) or Milka Ivanovska Hadjievska (mi.bhl@cbs.dk).
Deadline for submissions is 30 June 2026.
Here’s a link to the full text of the call : https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/00016993251408634
Review of Andrzej Turkoswi’s book on Poland’s NATO accession
We are delighted to share that our MORALITES member, Andrzej Turkowski, has received an in-depth review on Onet.pl for his book “Akces. Polska droga do NATO 1989–1999 “. The review highlights the book’s unique archival depth and its nuanced, non-celebratory account of Poland’s path to NATO membership—an achievement shaped by political determination, strategic patience, and diplomatic skill. Read the review here (in polish)
MORALITES Opening Conference 2025: New Perspectives on Ideas and Elites in Social Welfare Transformations in Europe.
JUNE 3-4 2025
The ERC-funded MORALITES project invites submissions for its opening conference, “New Perspectives on Ideas and Elites in Social Welfare Transformations in Europe,” taking place on June 3–4, 2025, at Copenhagen Business School.
This two-day event will explore the relationship between elites and ideas, focusing on civil society and welfare state transformations. As newly elected governments in Europe and the US introduce shifts in political and normative foundations, the conference will bring together scholars to analyze how elites shape policies and norms through public discourse and policymaking.
Key Themes & Topics
The conference seeks contributions on:
- Theoretical developments in elite studies and ideas.
- Methodologies for analyzing elite influence on public debates and policies.
- Empirical studies on civil society and welfare elites.
- Comparative research on transnational idea diffusion in social welfare policy.
- Historical and contemporary case studies on intellectual and policy elites.
Keynote Speakers
- Annette Zimmer (University of Münster) – Expert in third sector organizations, civil society, and social policy.
- Sam Friedman (London School of Economics) – Specializes in elite studies, class, and inequality.
- William Genieys (Sciences Po, CNRS) – Researches the recomposition of state elites and democracy among unelected governmental elites.
Submission Details
- Abstract deadline: February 28, 2025 (max 150 words)
- Acceptance notification: March 16, 2025
- Draft paper submission: Two weeks before the conference
Please send abstracts to Milka Ivanovska Hadjievska at mi.bhl@cbs.dk.
For travel and accommodation support inquiries, contact Anders Sevelsted at ase.bhl@cbs.dk.
There are no conference fees, and a joint publication is envisioned based on conference contributions.
Past Events
Research Collaboration Discussion with Haldor Byrkjeflot
An exploratory meeting was convened with Haldor Byrkjeflot, Professor at the Institutt for sosiologi og samfunnsgeografi, to examine convergent research interests and evaluate his potential involvement in the MORALITES project. The discussion centered on mapping collaborative pathways and integrating specialized knowledge in elite studies, textual analysis methodologies, and comparative research frameworks.
MORALITES Workshop October 3 – 4 2024, program
The MORALITES Workshop, held on October 3–4, 2024, focused on publication strategies, career planning, project development, and dissemination.
On Thursday morning, discussions centered on first publications (led by Andrzej), including literature reviews, agenda-setting papers, and potential publication outlets like Cambridge Studies in Cultural Sociology and Third Sector Research Series. Career planning was addressed by Anders.
In the afternoon, the status of work packages was reviewed, with contributions from Anders (project framework), Milka and Andrzej (methods), and Morten (Danish case study). Guests Christoph Ellersgaard and Anton Grau Larsen participated. The day concluded with a working dinner on engaging the public with research.
On Friday morning, project timelines and methodological questions were discussed, including comparisons, time-related social relations, and data sources.
The afternoon focused on conferences and dissemination, including the MORALITES opening conference, guest invitations, and potential outputs (special issues/edited volumes). Key academic conferences such as the Nordic Civil Society Conference (Bergen), AOM 2025 (Copenhagen), and SASE 2025 (Montreal) were identified. Morten led a session on communication strategies, including social media, podcasts, and academic outlets.
The workshop strengthened collaboration, clarified publication and dissemination strategies, and refined project planning for the upcoming years.