Call for Papers
Special Issue: “The Sociological Dimensions of Artificial Intelligence”
Istanbul University Journal of Sociology
2026 (Volume 46 / Issue 2)
Guest Editors
Ömer Özdinç (PhD, Ser Danışmanlık, Istanbul, Türkiye)
Call for Papers
Istanbul University Journal of Sociology is preparing a special issue titled “The Sociological Dimensions of Artificial Intelligence.” This special issue aims to feature studies that examine, from a sociological perspective, the multifaceted impacts of artificial intelligence (AI) on social structures, institutions, identities, and everyday life.
The growing integration of AI into various domains of social life has led to the emergence of significant new research topics within the discipline of sociology. AI is not merely a technical tool; it increasingly operates as a sociotechnical structure, embedded in social practices across fields ranging from education to community welfare. For this reason, it is essential to analyze the societal impacts of AI from a multidimensional perspective.
The existing literature reveals that AI has the potential to both transform social structures and reproduce existing inequalities. While AI offers opportunities for innovation and efficiency, it also raises critical sociological concerns related to equality, trust, and individual autonomy. Intense debates have emerged, for example, regarding the role of AI-based algorithms in deepening political and social polarization, particularly on social media platforms. Moreover, scholarship on surveillance societies highlights how the use of AI by state and market actors can intensify power asymmetries between citizens and governing authorities.
Consequently, researchers have emphasized the importance of adopting a critical sociotechnical lens that examines not only how technology operates but also for whom, for what purposes, and under which social conditions it functions. Sociological research that addresses long-term social impacts, cross-cultural comparisons, co-production processes between technology and society, as well as transformations in polarization, surveillance, and power relations, will make significant contributions both to academic scholarship and to policy frameworks.
This special issue welcomes contributions that explore the relationship between artificial intelligence and society from a sociological perspective. Manuscripts are expected to go beyond the technical functioning of AI and to analyze its multi-layered implications for social structures, institutions, culture, politics, and everyday life. Submissions on the following (but not limited to) themes are particularly encouraged:
• Sociological theories and the social impacts of artificial intelligence
• Artificial intelligence, social justice, and inequality dynamics
• AI and the intersections of gender, race, and class
• Human-centered AI and the transformation of social interactions
• AI, labor markets, and the transformation of work
• The effects of AI on work organization, labor processes, and power relations
• Algorithmic management and social inequalities
• AI applications in education, health, justice, and security
• The impact of AI on community well-being, social cohesion, and collective solidarity
• AI ethics, surveillance, and privacy
• Governance, ethical standards, and regulatory debates in AI technologies
• Digital culture, identity construction, and artificial intelligence
• AI and polarization on social media
• Data manipulation and disinformation
• Evaluating the cultural values of large language models (benchmarks)
• Artificial intelligence and political participation: democracy, authoritarianism, and new forms of governance
• Resistance to AI, social movements, and alternative technological futures
Submission Guidelines
Manuscripts may be submitted in Turkish or English through the Istanbul University Publications editorial portal (https://editorial.istanbul.edu.tr) until March 1, 2026.
For editorial inquiries, please contact Ömer Özdinç (omer.ozdinc@sd.com.tr.)
For technical support, please email: sosyolojidergi@istanbul.edu.tr.
About the Istanbul University Journal of Sociology
The Istanbul University Journal of Sociology is published by the Department of Sociology at the Faculty of Letters, Istanbul University, which was established in 1914 and has played a pivotal role in the development of sociology as a scientific discipline in Turkey. First published in 1917, it is the oldest sociology journal in Turkish. The journal is peer-reviewed, published twice a year, and indexed in the Web of Science Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI) and TÜBİTAK ULAKBİM TR-Dizin.
For more information, please visit: http://iupress.istanbul.edu.tr/en/journal/iusd/home