Structures of Violence: Engaging the Public Imagination

5th Annual Mason Public Sociology Conference

Saturday, April 09, 2016
Van Metre Hall (formerly Founders Hall)

See the conference program here. 

Crossing multiple spheres of life, the public imagination uses dialogue to create new possibilities for action. A public imagination against structures of violence recognizes that violence exists in multiple forms and is not experienced universally.

Public sociology is an approach to the study of social problems and structures that transcends the boundaries of academia to engage the public in discourse, political and institutional change, and social empowerment. Public sociologists, in collaboration with activists and policymakers, often turn their lens towards a broad range of public concerns that are rooted in social injustices and inequalities.

The graduate students of the Public Sociology Program at George Mason University organize an annual conference that critically engages contemporary social problems with diverse publics. This year we focus on structures of violence in an effort to engage the public imagination.