Immediately after the fall of the Iron Curtain, Europe has been dominated by an optimistic vision, shared by sociologists, that the world naturally evolves for the better. It seemed that the European Union will strengthen, economically and socially, the whole continent, and the former communist countries of Eastern Europe will complete the transition objectives and will soon achieve a modern and enhanced prosperity. Sociology was called
to contribute to the natural process of positive development and did it with responsibility and competence. At the same time, the thematic silencedominated in this field of study, few alternatives being explored. Nowadays, we recognize that the world does not work by itself for the better. New problems have become relevant to the world, many of which have affected all Europe. Conceptualizations and tools developed by sociologists show more clearly their limits. For sociologists, as well as for the whole world, the future is populated by risks, new challenges and new opportunities. New problems require new solutions. It is time for sociology to explore new research directions, to identify new areas of interest and even to rethink current themes in a new perspective. The conference aims to open an arena for discussion on new investigations of the situations our societies face. The conference brings together theoretical and empirical contributions to this subject in sociology as well as in related fields such as demography, anthropology and social work. Theorists and practitioners in the above mentioned areas are expected to present papers and participate in discussions.