About the Society
Established in 1935, the Southern Sociological Society is a society of professionals that promotes the development of sociology as a profession and scientific discipline by the maintenance of high academic professional and ethical standards, and by encouraging effective teaching of sociology, valid and reliable methods and research in the study of human society, diffusion of sociological knowledge and its application to societal problems, cooperation with related disciplines and groups, recruitment and training of sociologists, and development of sociology programs in educational and other agencies.
In pursuit of its mission, the Southern Sociological Society (SSS) is committed to building a diverse association and creating a welcoming and inclusive environment for its members. This includes welcoming individuals along many different dimensions of diversity including but not limited to: race, ethnicity, gender identity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, religion, physical and mental ability, age, institution and career status. We actively work to do this through inclusive, anti-discriminatory, and equitable practices and programing, encouraging full participation in SSS and fostering a mutual respect for others in all that we do and in the business of the society.
Members of the Society convene for an annual academic conference usually held in spring.
To visit our membership portal, click here.
Services available on our membership portal include
- purchasing or renewing membership
- submitting a paper or session to the annual conference
- purchasing conference registration
- paying for job advertisements
- accessing your Social Currents electronic access code
- and more!
SSS Member Highlight
“I am Michael Hughes, Professor Emeritus of Sociology at Virginia Tech. I received my BA (1967) at the University of Alabama during a period of intense White resistance to racial integration. It was there that I participated in my first social research project, a study of White students’ racial prejudice.
I went on to receive a master’s degree at UA and then taught for two years at the University of North Alabama. I entered Vanderbilt University for my Ph.D. in 1973, working under Walter R. Gove on mental health research. Following my Ph.D. (1979), I joined the faculty at Virginia Tech, and my research interests expanded beyond racial attitudes and mental health to include ethnic and racial identity, patterns of cultural choice, quality of life, and military sociology. From 2001 through 2004, I served as editor of the Journal of Health and Social Behavior. I was elected President of the Southern Sociological Society and served a 2004-2005 term. In 2020, I was honored by the SSS by having my name added to the Roll of Honor.
The Southern Sociological Society has been a true professional home for me. I attended my first SSS meeting in Atlanta in 1970 as a master’s degree student at UA. I have attended nearly every meeting since then. Being a part of SSS has enabled me to connect and reconnect with colleagues and to forge and maintain productive and meaningful relationships. SSS provided me with my first experiences of presenting research to critical audiences. In addition, my early involvement in the society showed me that I could make professional contributions beyond teaching and research and beyond my home campus.
Social research has been my primary professional calling, and I am lucky to still be able to be active. A recent publication (Hughes et al. Sociological Inquiry 93 [4]: 723-755) brought me full circle, from the data I collected as a UA undergraduate to contemporary issues of White resistance to racial change. My current research involves projects on combat stress and racial attitudes among American soldiers in WW II.
I look forward to the SSS meeting every year to learn about ongoing research, to exchange views with authors of provocative papers, and to meet colleagues from other universities and research organizations. In these uncertain days, when the administration in Washington is working to destroy universities, science, and the humanities as we know them, it is critical that we join together, renew our bonds, and work to meet the critical challenges that are now confronting us.”
Throughout the year, we feature different SSS members. If you would like to be featured, or if you would like to nominate someone to be featured, please reach out to our webmaster.