Dear fellow Social Scientists:
As president of the Southwestern Social Science Association, the oldest interdisciplinary social science association in the United States, I welcome you. We just finished up our annual conference, held this year in the always wonderful City of New Orleans. Some outstanding papers were presented, old friendships rekindled; scholarly conversations were everywhere you turned. The SSSA is the oldest interdisciplinary social science association in the United States because of our affiliated members and their students. As a regional conference, we have long attracted individuals committed to both scholarship and the mentoring of emerging scholars. You have long attended, you have recruited colleagues, and both you and your colleagues have communicated that the SSSA is a positive, supportive place for students to begin their academic journeys. We thank you for your commitment to your various affiliates and remind you that continuing that commitment is key to the longevity of the SSSA.
I would like to offer a cordial invitation to attend next year’s conference, which will be held in Las Vegas, Nevada. “Shine, Las Vegas!” Over the years we have held some of our biggest and most successful conferences in Las Vegas. The theme of the 2025 SSSA conference is “Defining Democratic Survival at Home and Abroad.” As a political scientist, I and my affiliate colleagues can agree that democracy in the world is experiencing a period of both resistance and attack. What does this mean for supporters of democracy and citizens of both authoritarian and democratic regimes around the world? The political, economic, social, and cultural implications of strong challenges to democracy are widespread. The tactics of democracy defenders and challengers and the outcomes of their actions are studied by each of our disciplines. The consequences of weakening democracy for citizens are studied by our disciplines. I believe we can continue ongoing discussions about challenges and opportunities for democracy and the implications of the same for politics, economy, society, and culture at our 2025 conference. I hope to see you there!
Jennifer Horan, Ph.D.
President, Southwestern Social Sciences Association
Professor of Political Science
University of North Carolina – Wilmington
