Sociology Conference in the Cayman Islands – September 24–26, UCCI

Livingston Smith, PhD, President of the Caribbean Sociological Association (CASA)

This article is part of a series aimed at encouraging scholars, practitioners, and students to submit abstracts for the upcoming Sociology Conference to be held at the University College of the Cayman Islands (UCCI) from September 24 to 26, 2025. The conference, hosted by the Caribbean Sociological Association (CASA), is themed “Mobilizing Caribbean Sociologies: Bridging Theory, Method, and Fields of Sociology for Sustainable Caribbean Development.”

Why Sociology?

Academic disciplines flourish in universities because they each possess a long-standing tradition, a structured body of knowledge, and a systematic methodology. Each has its own focus: Psychology, mind and behaviour; Political Science, the use of power; Anthropology, evolutionary origins, culture; Economics, production, consumption and wealth transfer and so on.  Sociology focuses on our social world — how we interact, behave, and evolve based on influences such as gender, social class, power, religion, and culture.

Consider the example of criminologist Yolande Ford’s 2006 study, Predisposing Factors Towards Criminality in the Cayman Islands, which identified social factors like poor parenting, parental separation and absence, domestic violence, child abuse, low educational achievement, and shallow religious engagement as contributing to criminal behavior. Sociology, perhaps more than any other discipline, starts from the premise that human behavior is embedded in the context of social life.

Sociology also offers a powerful way of thinking: what C. Wright Mills famously termed the “sociological imagination” in 1959. This concept allows us to understand how personal experiences are shaped by larger social forces — economic systems, historical legacies, and institutional structures — thereby deepening our insight into society and ourselves.

The Roots and Reach of Caribbean Sociology

Caribbean Sociology, shaped by the region’s unique histories and challenges, has made significant contributions to understanding and transforming Caribbean societies. Foundational thinkers such as Lloyd Brathwaite, M.G. Smith, and R.T. Smith employed sociological tools to dissect and address complex issues including race, class, kinship, education, and religion.

• Lloyd Brathwaite explored the interplay of race, class, color, and culture, laying the groundwork for analyzing Caribbean identity and social systems.

• M.G. Smith, a prolific scholar, examined everything from Rastafarianism to the structure of Caribbean families and the role of education in post-colonial development. In his work Education and Society in the Creole Caribbean, he asked whether education systems were challenging colonial legacies or simply reproducing them.

• R.T. Smith, in The Negro Family in British Guiana, argued that African-descended family structures were not the cause of poverty, but rather a response to economic marginalization. He emphasized the need for improved access to education and economic opportunity.

Caribbean sociologists have also been at the forefront of critiquing colonial legacies, particularly the structural inequalities rooted in race, class, and gender. By using sociological frameworks to analyze and dismantle these inherited systems, they have paved the way for more equitable and sustainable societies.

CASA Conference 2025 – Call for Abstracts

The Caribbean Sociological Association (CASA) invites scholars, researchers, policymakers, and practitioners to submit papers for our 2025 conference, which seeks to harness the power of sociology in addressing the Caribbean’s most urgent challenges.

Conference Theme:

Mobilizing Caribbean Sociologies: Bridging Theory, Method, and Fields of Sociology for Sustainable Caribbean Development

Conference Objectives:

1. To explore and showcase the diversity within Caribbean sociologies and their relevance to sustainable development.

2. To bridge theoretical, methodological, and applied approaches, encouraging cross-disciplinary research and collaboration.

3. To provide a platform for emerging and established scholars to present research addressing contemporary Caribbean issues.

4. To generate actionable insights and policy recommendations that support Caribbean development goals, especially in the areas of social equity, environmental resilience, and economic sustainability.

We welcome abstracts from across the discipline and its subfields, and especially encourage submissions that emphasize solutions-oriented research with direct benefits for Caribbean communities.

For more information and a detailed list of submission areas, please visit the CASA website at www.carinsociology.org .