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Over the last decade, we have witnessed numerous phenomena, events, and calamities which have disrupted a sense of stability and incontrovertibility regarding the world in which we live. Conspicuous are the signs of a climactic catastrophe, the weakening of liberal democracy and resurgence of authoritarianism, a shaken trust in science, humanitarian crises, and, finally, a pandemic that not only suspended what we had long considered normal life, but exposed weaknesses heretofore unnoticed. All these manifestations evoke inescapable thoughts of an end to the world as we know it.

The challenge for sociology is to skillfully discern new forms of social life emerging from the present chaos – yet this requires a search for new concepts and models of thought. The 18^th Polish Sociological Congress stands as an invitation to a collaborative reflection upon the most important social phenomena of the 21^st century and to a bold gaze into the future. The theme of this congress is Society of the Future: Recompositions. With this title we express our conviction that today’s turbulence, growing diversification, and ever more fluid boundaries are a harbinger of new social configurations, new social practices, and new (to refer to Max Weber) “great cultural ideas.” The framework of the congress program is delineated by four broad topics under which presentations and discussions will be organized.