Symposium introduction: shockwave.

The article focuses on the symposium that was held during the annual conference of the Australian Sociological Association on December 2001. The primary objective of the symposium, which was held three months after the September 11, 2001 attack was only to explore the implications of emerging conflicts around globalization for the field of sociology, but the scope was expanded to include the implications of the September 11 attack for the sociological discipline. The symposium centered on the ability of sociology to grapple with implications of globalization and the place of non-western experiences, particularly Islamic experiences within the field of sociology.