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Society for the Study of Social Problems

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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)
Publication
Social 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

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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

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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

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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

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

Publications

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

References

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  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

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  • 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/.
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