Jump to content

Society for the Study of Social Problems

Edit links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP)
Founded1951
FounderElizabeth Briant Lee and Alfred McClung Lee[1]
TypeProfessional organization
FocusPursuit of Social Justice through Social Research[2]
Location
Area served
Worldwide
Key people
  • Elroi J. Windsor (Executive Officer)
  • Michele Smith Koontz (Administrative Officer & Meeting Manager)
PublicationSocial Problems
Websitewww.sssp1.org

The Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP) is an organization founded in 1951 in counterpoint to the American Sociological Association.[3]

History

[edit]

The Society was founded in 1951 by Elizabeth Briant Lee and Alfred McClung Lee.[3][1] Professor of Sociology Julia Catherine Wrigley writes that the Society's founders were "liberal and left-leaning academics" and that it provided a "meeting ground for those dismayed by the often conservative thrust of the [American Sociological Organization]".[4]

In the 1950s and 1960s the Society was closely associated with labelling theory.[3]

Purpose

[edit]

The SSSP's stated purpose is to promote and protect sociological research and teaching on significant problems of social life and, particularly, to encourage the work of young sociologists; to stimulate the application of scientific method and theory to the study of vital social problems; to encourage problem-centered social research; to foster cooperative relations among persons and organizations engaged in the application of scientific sociological findings to the formulation of social policies; to foster higher quality of life, social welfare, and positive social relations in society and the global community and to undertake activities to accomplish these goals.

Activities

[edit]

The SSSP promotes dialogue through presentations at the annual meeting, and through listservs and division newsletters throughout the year; publishes research in the journal Social Problems; presents awards to community groups; supports undergraduate and graduate students, young scholars and activists with professional support, leadership opportunities, and scholarships; passes and acts upon public resolutions; and fosters the generation of new ideas.

Membership

[edit]

Membership is open to individuals and university and college departments who support the SSSP's goals.

Publications

[edit]

Social Problems, the flagship journal of the Society, is published through Oxford University Press.[5] The Society also publishes various newsletters and booklets.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Lee EB, Lee AM (1976). "The Society for the Study of Social Problems: Parental Recollections and Hopes". Social Problems. 24 (1): 4–14. doi:10.2307/800318. eISSN 1533-8533. ISSN 0037-7791. JSTOR 800318.
  2. ^ Who should belong to the Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP)?
  3. ^ a b c Scott J, ed. (2015). "Society for the Study of Social Problems". A Dictionary of Sociology (4th ed.). Oxford University Press. ISBN 9780199683581.
  4. ^ Wrigley JC (1977). "Labor Studies and the Society for the Study of Social Problems". International Labor and Working-Class History. 12 (November). Cambridge University Press: 8–9. doi:10.1017/s0147547900015404.
  5. ^ "About". Oxford University Press. Retrieved 2021-12-15.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Additional information about the SSSP can be found in Marginality and Dissent in Twentieth-Century American Sociology: The Case of Elizabeth Briant Lee and Alfred McClung Lee by John F. Galliher and James M. Galliher, 1995, SUNY Press.
  • Additional information about Elizabeth Briant Lee and Alfred McClung Lee, SSSP founders, can be found courtesy of Harvard Square Library at http://www.harvardsquarelibrary.org/biographies/alfred-mcclung-and-elizabeth-briant-lee/.
[edit]
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Society_for_the_Study_of_Social_Problems&oldid=1206364836"