Who We Are
We are an interdisciplinary community of scholars, practitioners, advocates, and students interested in the application of critical, scientific, and humanistic perspectives to the study of vital social problems.
What Our Members Say
"I have come to understand a good deal about SSSP over the years, its challenges and possibilities. What is clear to me is that I cannot think of a time in my life as a sociologist and scholar of African American and African Studies without The Society for the Study of Social Problems being central to my scholarship and activism. I continue to experience this connection in the day to day commitments of our members. I know the solid, serious research and practice articulated in their work. These values of theory and practice undergird my ongoing commitment to SSSP. The Annual Meeting, of course, is the site where much of this work is show cased.
I’m excited about a new generation of members who are bringing creativity, scholarly excellence and visons of emancipatory change to SSSP. They are a key pillar of what will fuel the Society forward in the years to come. I know we need the deepest of commitments, the sharpest scholarship, and the greatest strategic clarity regarding the road ahead. I’m very much looking forward to the annual meeting in Chicago where much of this theory and practice will be shared as we commemorate the 75th anniversary of SSSP."
Rose M. Brewer, SSSP President 2024-2025, University of Minnesota
SSSP: 2019 Membership Survey Results Announced
Five years ago, the Board of Directors voted to conduct a membership survey every five years to assess how well the SSSP was meeting the needs of its members. Click here to view the cover letter written by Dr. Héctor L. Delgado, Executive Officer. Click here to view the results of the most recent survey. Please feel free to contact Dr. Delgado directly should you have any questions or concerns, hector.delgado49@gmail.com. If your concerns require anonymity or confidentiality, he is happy to provide both.
In Pursuit of Social Justice
SSSP 2021 Approved Resolutions
Resolutions constitute an important opportunity for our scholar-activist membership to analyze and offer their opinions on contemporary social problems that we believe the Society should address as a social justice organization. All SSSP members are invited to review the approved 2021 resolutions and participate in the resolutions process.
Click here to view the 2021 Approved Resolutions.
SSSP End Racism Statement
The Society for the Study of Social Problems wishes to join millions of Americans, especially communities of color, in condemning the murder of George Floyd by four police officers, sworn to serve and protect the citizens of this country. The impunity with which these officers took Mr. Floyd’s life serves as a reminder that we are all complicit if we do not do everything in our power to end the systematic oppression of people of color in the United States. What we witnessed was, for all intents and purposes, a lynching on national television. This incident, along with the recent murders of Breonna Taylor and Ahmaud Aubrey in separate incidents, adds evidence to the long and intertwined histories of state-sanctioned murder of black Americans, systemic racism against all people of color, and white supremacy. These systemic injustices are particularly tragic as they occur at a time when communities of color are disproportionately experiencing death and disease from the COVID-19 pandemic. We would be remiss as well not to express concern about the threat of using the armed forces of the United States against citizens of the United States on their own soil and by their own military. The overwhelming majority of protesters, from every ethnic and racial group, have engaged in peaceful protest and acts of civil disobedience, even in the face of excessive force by the police. Protesters are not the enemy. The enemy is racism, and we all have a responsibility to root it out wherever it is embedded.
