Call for Papers: International Conference on Marxist Critical Theory in Eastern Europe – Social Modernization and Cultural Modernity

The International Conference on Marxist Critical Theory in Eastern Europe will be held during November, 2026 in Chengdu, China. This will be an opportunity for the presentation of new work and research results across a wide variety of Eastern Europe Marxist Critical Theory Studies, to enhance the world-wide field of Marxist critical theories, to share studies of critical theory of Eastern Europe, and to promote the construction of Chinese Marxism and its aesthetics.

Event: Displaced Ecologies – Bauman Memorial Conversations

Thesis Eleven is delighted to share details of the first public event in the inaugural Bauman Memorial Conversations, a new biennial series of public dialogues hosted by the Bauman Institute.

The 2026 Conversations, “Thinking Displacement,” will explore displacement in its human, ecological, and intellectual dimensions. The first conversation will be held online on March 25, 2026.

Essay: The Art History and Contemporaneity of Terry Smith

by Darren Jorgensen

For five decades, Terry Smith has been a crucial part of conversations on both Australian and contemporary art. Since his 1974 essay, ‘The Provincialism Problem,’ through to a series of publications on global contemporary art, Smith has been both prolific and influential in the discipline of art history.

Issue 191, December 2025 – Celebrating George Ritzer

This Festschrift honors the enduring legacy of George Ritzer, one of sociology’s most influential and recognizable figures. Ritzer’s scholarship has helped shape core areas of the discipline—ranging from consumption and social theory to globalization and beyond—while also generating new conceptual terrains such as McDonaldization, prosumption, and the study of “nothing” and “something.”

Ritzer’s Reach: Timely Reflections on a Global Sociological Legacy – An interview with J. Michael Ryan

George’s work is both timely and timeless. He has been, and continues to be, a sort of social seer, someone who is able to both see what is seemingly most relevant in the contemporary moment, but also that which is likely to remain impactful in the future. He not only sees what is worthy of critical analysis today, but also what is likely to be critical to analyze tomorrow.

Happy Birthday Bauman! Interview with Peter Beilharz

Zygmunt Bauman was born in Poznan 19 November 1925. We celebrate the centenary of his birth by sharing an interview with Peter Beilharz by Southern People’s Weekly. Enthusiasm for Bauman’s ideas remains high in China, as elsewhere. We remember him fondly, as an ongoing friend and inspiration for Thesis Eleven. Happy Birthday, Zygmunt Bauman!