Sociological approaches have become increasingly prominent and topical in the multidisciplinary field of addiction research. Sociological insight has helped to reframe addiction as a social, political and cultural issue. Sociology has also contributed to critical interpretations of the concept of addiction.
This edited volume on Sociology of Addiction seeks to bring together sociological applications, approaches and conceptualisations on addiction-related topics. The aim is to highlight the relevance of sociology in the field of addiction research, as well as the contribution of addiction scholarship to sociological theory.
We invite chapters focusing on theoretical contributions, sociological interpretations of addiction as well as conceptual papers applying theoretical approaches to understanding addiction.
We welcome a wide range of theoretical applications, from classical sociology to contemporary and critical theories (e.g., post-structuralism, critical realism, feminist and queer theory, decolonial approaches).
We encourage submissions from researchers working on addiction-related topics within different subfields of social sciences (e.g., science and technology studies, the sociology of health and illness, economic sociology, criminology).
We look forward to receiving contributions from researchers from all career stages and from different global contexts.
Contributions can relate to (but are not limited to):
- Conceptual analyses on addiction – framings, understandings, differences across societies or historical periods.
- Applications of sociological theories to understanding addiction – contributions outlining a theoretical approach to analyse topics connected to addiction.
- Theoretical perspectives on specific addiction-related issues (e.g., alcohol and other drugs, nicotine, caffeine, food, gambling, gaming, social media, sex, sport).
- Comparative work – analyses on the use and usability of different theoretical or conceptual approaches to addiction or theoretical analyses comparing different addictive consumptions / behaviours
- Critical studies – challenging or deconstructing established understandings of addiction, addressing intersectional and global inequalities, power structures, or the social drivers of addiction.
- Reflexive summaries – articles bringing together empirical or theoretical examples to advance sociological inquiry into addictions.
Submit your work:
The target publisher of the edited volume is Springer Nature, book series ‘Advances in Mental Health and Addiction’.
Please express your intention to contribute by sending an abstract / short chapter outline to the editors by June 15, 2026.
Full chapters should be submitted by February 28, 2027.
Contributions should be written using UK English spelling and APA 7 style for references. All contributions need to include an abstract of no more than 200 words. Contributions should not exceed 4,000 words (excluding references).
The acceptance of chapters in the final book is subject to peer review.
Please note that submissions funded directly or indirectly by addiction-related industries or commercial interests, as well as submissions from authors who have received direct or indirect industry funding within the past three years, will not be considered.
Editors
The volume is edited by associate professor Virve Marionneau and postdoctoral researcher Veera Kankainen. Marionneau and Kankainen work at the
Please be in touch with us if you have any questions!