“SOCIAL CHANGES IN THE DIGITAL ERA”
Organized by Department of Sociology and Social Work, National University of Mongolia
Social Research Institute, National University of Mongolia
Social Work Innovation, Experiment and Research Center, National University of Mongolia
Shukutoku University
The OPEN MIND MONGOLIA 2025 international conference invites scholars and practitioners to explore the interdisciplinary theme of “Social changes in the Digital Era.” This bi-annual international conference was firstly organized in 2021 as “Supporting Social Wellbeing During and After COVID-19,” an international hybrid conference that explored the social impacts of the global pandemic, and later in 2023 under the theme “Exploring Innovative Solutions for Contemporary Social Challenges,” with the aim of promoting an integrated approach to address environmental issues, climate change, gender, social participation, and socio-economic challenges.
Technological advancement of the 21st century is affecting most aspects of society. Artificial intelligence, data-driven platforms, digital participation, and algorithmic governance are reshaping human relationships, labor, education, culture, and governance in unprecedented ways — bringing significant progress to the modern world while also presenting equally complex challenges.
This international conference aims to explore, compare, and build collective knowledge on these social changes through an interdisciplinary research lens. Participants will engage in discussions along four main directions:
As part of this critical moment, we cordially invite you to join the conference by sharing the results of your recent and meaningful research, engaging in discussions with fellow scholars, and enriching the event with your wisdom and unique perspectives.
In 2021, the Department of Sociology and Social Work at the National University of Mongolia (NUM) hosted a successful International Conference entitled “OPEN MIND MONGOLIA-2021”. The conference encompassed two sections: one focusing on sociology, and the other concentrating on social work. Its theme was “Supporting social well-being during and after the COVID-19 pandemic”.
We are pleased to announce that our upcoming interdisciplinary conference, which takes place every two years in accordance with tradition, will be held in 2023. The theme of this year will be “Exploring innovative solutions for contemporary social challenges”.
For the past three years, countries around the globe have been constantly working, researching, and creating a healthier, happier, and more equal society, despite the challenges and difficulties that have been presented. The daily lives of many people are affected by global pandemics, regional wars, economic recessions, rising prices, labor shortages, the shadow economy, corruption, and tax evasion. However, technological advances and scientific discoveries have permeated everyday life, with time seemingly moving forward at a monotonous yet incredibly high density.
Considering this situation, The Department of Sociology and Social Work of NUM and the Institute of Social Research are delighted to host their regular academic meeting, examining the approaches countries, scientific fields, researchers, and individuals are taking to address present social difficulties.
We cordially invite you to join us at the conference where researchers from various disciplines will come together to share their knowledge and perspectives on recent research results.
is an Associate Professor of Sociology at Nazarbayev University (Kazakhstan). After receiving his PhD in sociology from the University of Maryland (USA), he has gone on to become an award-winning teacher who has held academic positions across five continents.
He was previously a researcher for the TransRights Project at The University of Lisbon (Portugal) and has taught courses at The American University in Cairo (Egypt), Faulted Latino Americana de Ciencias Sociales (FLACSO) (Ecuador) and the University of Maryland (USA). Before returning to academia, Michael worked as a research methodologist at the National Center for Health Statistics (part of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention) in Washington, D.C. where he led multiple projects to improve national statistical survey methodology. Michael is the co-author (with George Ritzer) of the best-selling textbook Introduction to Sociology, 6th edition as well as the next editions of The McDonaldization of Society and (also with Ritzer and Chris Rojek) The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology, 2nd edition.
He is also the co-author (with Serena Nanda) of COVID-19: Social Inequalities and human possibilities (2022). Michael has edited or co-edited more than 15 volumes, including The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Health, Illness, Behavior, and Society, 2nd edition (with William Cockerham et. al., forthcoming); Pandemic Pedagogies: Teaching and Learning during the COVID-19 Pandemic (2023); COVID-19: Global Pandemic, Societal Responses, Ideological Solutions (2021); COVID-19: Social Consequences and Cultural Adaptations (2021); Trans Lives in a Globalizing World: Rights, Identities, and Politics (2020); Essential Concepts in Sociology (2019); Gender in the Middle East and North Africa: Contemporary Issues and Challenges (with Helen Rizzo) (2020); and The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Social Theory (with Bryan Turner et al., 2017). He has also served as advisory editor on The Wiley-Blackwell Encyclopedia of Gender and Sexuality Studies and is the founding editor of Routledge’s The COVID-19 Pandemic Series.
Professor Noriko Totsuka is the Director of the Asian Research Institute for International Social Work and Professor at the College of Integrated Human and Social Work, Shukutoku University. She is also a Certified Social Worker in Japan.
Her research interests include eclectic social work that combines practical Buddhist philosophy with Western-rooted social work and community business development grounded in Japanese hospitality and welfare-mindedness.
While Western social work theories and practices remain predominant, Professor Noriko Totsuka has committed herself to a problem-solving model. Around ten years ago, she became interested in the fusion (eclecticism) of Eastern-rooted practical philosophy and Western-rooted social work. In 2021, she began to conduct basic research on how practical Buddhist philosophy can contribute to the development of social work. She has been enrolled in the Rinsho Buddhism Chaplaincy Training Program organized by the Rinbutsuken Institute for Socially Engaged Buddhism since 2021. This program is conducted under the aegis of the Zenseikyo Foundation and the Buddhist Council for Youth and Child Welfare. She is currently engaged in activities designed to provide supplies to support the daily life needs of indigent individuals and deliver medical and welfare-related interpersonal assistance.
Professor Noriko Totsuka worked for six years from the late 1980s to the early 1990s as the coordinator of a childcare project launched through a substantial grant received from a Europe-based foundation. From 2006 to 2017, she served as the director of the Japanese Consumer’s Co-operative Union and was engaged in diverse business activities related to the daily lives of citizens. She became convinced of the opportunities social work know-how could offer to different types of businesses. In this context, she has recently become engaged in human resource development to discern ways in which social work students can contribute to issues relating to the business fields.
Professor Noriko Totsuka also holds the following positions: Member of the Specialist Committee for Social Welfare; Member of the Subcommittee for the Establishment of Universities, Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), 2021-2022; Chair of the FD/ICT Utilization Research Committee for Social Welfare Education, Japan Universities Association for Computer Education; Associate Hospitality Coordinator (recognized by NPO, the Japan Hospitality Movement Association）.
Professor of Sociology and Demography, and the Director at the Center for Transnational Migration and Social Inclusion (CTMS) at the Graduate School of International Studies (GSIS), Seoul National University. He received a PhD in sociology from the University of Pennsylvania.
His research interests include low fertility and ageing, family history, family values, transnational migration, care and care work, time use to study and quantitative methods.
Prof. Eun has led the Comparative Asian Family Survey (CAFS) project together with Prof. Emiko Ochiai of Kyoto University in Japan, which conducted family surveys in Thailand, Vietnam, Malaysia, India, Qatar and Turkey. Since 2017, he has been engaged in an international project on the care economy (CWE-GAM project), representing the Korean team. He is in charge of the KOICA Gender and Development Program at GSIS as the Program Manager.
Prof. Eun is also an expert on time use research with publications and articles on work-life balance, time poverty, study time, and sleep. He leads comparative studies on time use across countries. Prof. Eun currently serves as Vice President of the International Association for Time Use Research and a founder and current President of the Korean Association for Time Studies.
He is President of the Population Association of Korea and the Korean Social History Association, as well as Vice President of the Korean Family Studies Association. At Seoul National University. He also serves as Vice Director at the Kyujanggak Institute for Korean Studies. Prof. Eun is a member of the Presidential Committee on Aging Society and Population Policy (PCASPP) in Korea.
Professor Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) and a Director (Initial Teacher Education) in the School of Education.
Ange is nationally and internationally recognized for her academic activities that promote and enhance the professional practice of both pre-service and in-service teachers. She describes her research as both conceptual and pragmatic as she navigates the world of the pracademic. Ange seeks to understand what defines effective teaching practices and environments as well as provide evidence-based practical implications and insights for educators. She is widely published (over 50+ books, edited books, book chapters and journal articles) and has significant success in attracting funding (approx. $2.5M across 24 research projects and scholarship opportunities and nine national and international tenders and consultancies). Ange has supervised a number of HDR students through to successful completion and has been invited to give keynote addresses across Australia and abroad.
Driven by her strongly held values of generosity and kindness, Ange gives back to her academic community through mentorship of early career academics, participation in national accreditation panels, involvement with her professional association and numerous editorial activities. She was the Secretary/Treasurer for the Australasian Science Education Research Association (ASERA) for six years and the co-Editor-in-Chief of the highly regarded science education journal, Research in Science Education (RISE). Ange has current international collaborations with government organizations in Andorra, Jordan, Papua New Guinea and the United States. She was a Queensland-Smithsonian Fellow in 2020 and has been recognized for excellence in teaching, research and community engagement. Ange is currently an executive member of the Australian Teacher Education Association (ATEA).