Social Norms: Ontology, Applications and Critique

Social Norms: Ontology, Applications and Critique

Workshop in social ontology

Department of Humanities (DISUM), University of Eastern Piedmont

Organised in collaboration with LabOnt, University of Turin

Social norms shape the way people act, relate to one another, and understand what is appropriate or required. They sustain institutions, constrain agency, yet they can also give rise to inequality and injustice. Social norms thus raise questions about social order, normative authority, and the conditions of social transformation.

Social ontology provides a theoretical framework for addressing these issues. This workshop examines the nature, functions, and challenges associated with social norms through three interrelated perspectives:

Ontology. What are social norms? Are they grounded in collective attitudes, and if so, how? How do they relate to reasons for action, and how do they differ from moral requirements, legal obligations and conventions? What sustains compliance?

Applications. How do social norms operate in specific domains, such as workplaces, professions, organisations, law and gender? How do role, group, legal and job norms compare in structure and function? How do norms travel across groups and contexts, and how do they interact when they overlap or conflict? 

Critique. How do social norms interact with social power, and how do they entrench conformity and inequality? How do social norms shape transgenerational commitments and responsibilities towards future generations?  What strategies exist for resistance and change?

Submissions

We invite abstracts from researchers at all career stages, and particularly welcome submissions from PhD students and early-career researchers. Contributions may address the topic of social norms from any of the three perspectives above, or a connection between them. We welcome contributions from different philosophical traditions and methodological approaches, including work that connects conceptual and theoretical analysis with concrete social, institutional, or political problems.

Each contributed talk lasts 30 minutes, followed by 10 minutes of Q&A.

Please send an abstract of 500-750 words, prepared for anonymous review, to:

               [email protected]

Include your name, affiliation and career stage in the body of the email.

Submission deadline: 31 December 2026

Notification of acceptance: 31 January 2027

Practical information

There is no registration fee. Contributed speakers are expected to cover their own travel and accommodation.

Selected papers will be considered for publication after editorial review.

The workshop is committed to an inclusive and accessible environment. Please let us know of any access or caring needs.

With the support of

DISUM, University of Eastern Piedmont & LabOnt, Department of Philosophy and Educational Sciences, University of Turin