EU SSSI 2017 Studying Everyday Life: Generic Dimensions of Interactionist Inquiry

EU SSSI 2017 Studying Everyday Life: Generic Dimensions of Interactionist Inquiry
Opublikowano 3 listopada 2016 w: Aktualności, Konferencje

July 4th-8th, 2017

Łódź, Poland

 Abstract submission deadline: January 31st, 2017

Dear Colleagues and Friends,

The University of Lodz is proud to host the 8th Conference of the European Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction (EU SSSI), Studying Everyday Life: Generic Dimensions of Interactionist Inquiry, which will be held at the Faculty of Economics and Sociology from July 4th-8th, 2017.

The conference seeks to build upon the organizational experiences and successful practices established through the previous EU SSSI conferences in Pisa (2010), Kassel (2011), Rotterdam (2012), Uppsala (2013), Aalborg (2014), Salford (2015), and Topola (2016). The aim is to provide an interdisciplinary and international forum within which to utilize and extend symbolic interactionist theory and methods in the thick description and exploration of human lived experience as an evolving social process embedded in the individual’s understanding of how to manage social and cultural constraints within given contexts. The conference is also intended to foster consideration of the ways in which such empirical endeavors contribute to a more generic understanding of human group life as represented in people’s perspectives, identities, activities, relationships, collective ventures, and the like.

The conference theme, Studying Everyday Life: Generic Dimensions of Interactionist Inquiry, draws upon an interactionist standpoint as well as ethnographic research in order to investigate the richness, complexity, and diversity of everyday life. It calls upon participants to assess and extend our understanding of human knowing and acting, as well as the theoretical, methodological, and conceptual dimensions of the sociological venture. This will create possibilities for a broader dialogue about focused inquiry into the social processes at the heart of the symbolic interactionist perspective. Join us!

Call for Papers

Symbolic interactionism rests in the last analysis on three simple premises. The first premise is that human beings act toward things on the basis of the meanings they have for them…. The second premise is that the meaning of such things is derived from, or arises out of, the social interaction that one has with one’s fellows. The third premise is that these meanings are handled in, and modified through, an interpretative process used by the person in dealing with the things he encounters. [Herbert Blumer, Symbolic Interactionism: Perspective and Method, 1969:2]

Once considered both marginal and a challenge to the dominant approach in mainstream sociology, the core concepts of symbolic interactionism have become rather well established, and they are now embraced by many scholars who do not identify themselves with the perspective. But although the definitions of situations and the meaning-making activities of the groups and individuals we study, who are embedded in specific interactional, social, cultural, and historical contexts, have become somewhat central concerns, the diversity of the interests and empirical arenas to which we contribute from the interactionist perspective has led to the fragmentation of the symbolic interactionist intellectual community. This raises a number of important questions: Are we truly aware (and do we need to be aware) of the roots of the ideas that we adapt? Does adapting and extending the approach create a common ground, or are we simply talking past each other? How can we contribute (and do we need to do so) to the understanding of human knowing and acting beyond our research setting?

The theme of the conference, Studying Everyday Life: Generic Dimensions of Interactionist Inquiry, has been chosen in order to accommodate empirical contributions that apply interactionist research and analysis to practical issues and problems. It also makes it possible to reflect upon where we are going as we continue to study human knowing and acting in everyday life and thereby extend the intellectual horizons of interactionism. Another major objective is to present what we have learned about the more generic or fundamental aspects of human group life and to suggest ways in which we can more adequately conceptualize the matters at hand from a symbolic interactionist standpoint. Not only do such endeavors contribute to our understanding of people’s everyday lives, they can also help form needed social policies and encourage the development of a well-informed citizenry.

We invite submissions from all walks of interactionist, pragmatist, and related everyday-life and ethnographic traditions. While there have been many suggestions for topics—foundational theoretical and methodological issues, micro- and macro-interactionism, policy-relevant research, ethnographic ventures, self and identity studies, contemplative inquiry, normality vs. deviance, experiencing and studying emotions, body and embodiment, the backstage practice of doing qualitative research, symbolic interactionism in the postmodern era, and many others—the conference does not limit participants to any specific subject area. Consequently, the particular sessions featured in the final conference program will be based upon people’s actual activities and interests.

With a view to highlighting the goal of contributing to the social understanding of people’s everyday lives, and in order to stress the importance our analyses have as prospective tools for social workers, therapists, police officers, and policy-makers, among many others, this year’s conference will accommodate a wide range of workshops and exhibitions addressed to practitioners, researchers, scholars, as well as the non-scholarly general public. The aim is to emphasize the practical dimension of our analytical ventures by reflecting upon what we can learn from reconstructing the processes we not only observe and study, but also experience and “work with” in our everyday lives.

In line with the theme of the conference, we anticipate editing a journal issue devoted to the art and craft of symbolic interaction and ethnographic research.

Abstracts (300 word limit) will be submitted online on the conference web page: http://www.eusssi2017.uni.lodz.pl/

Abstract submission deadline: January 31st, 2017

Abstract decision date: February 10th, 2017

 Scientific Committee of the Conference

• Andrew Blasko, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Bulgaria
• Robert Dingwall, Nottingham Trent University, United Kingdom
• Gary Alan Fine, Northwestern University, United States
• Marek Gorzko, Pomeranian University in Slupsk, Poland
• Kaja Kaźmierska, University of Lodz, Poland
• Krzysztof T. Konecki, University of Lodz, Poland
• Vessela Misheva, Uppsala University, Sweden
• Janusz Mucha, AGH University of Science and Technology, Poland
• Andrzej Piotrowski, University of Lodz, Poland
• Robert Prus, University of Waterloo, Canada
• Andrea Salvini, University of Pisa, Italy
• Piotr Sztompka, Jagiellonian University, Poland
• Lisa-Jo K. van den Scott, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada
• Grażyna Woroniecka, University of Warsaw, Poland

Confirmed Keynote Speakers

• Robert Dingwall, Nottingham Trent University, United Kingdom
• Scott Grills, Brandon University, Canada
• Joseph Kotarba, Texas State University, United States
• Robert Prus, University of Waterloo, Canada

 Confirmed Session Chairs

• Michael Dellwing, University of Kassel, Germany
• Robert Dingwall, Nottingham Trent University, United Kingdom
• Emma Engdahl, University of Gothenburg, Sweden
• Antoaneta Hristova, Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, Bulgaria
• Joseph Kotarba, Texas State University, United States
• Vessela Misheva, Uppsala University, Sweden
• Thaddeus Müller, Lancaster University, United Kingdom
• Robert Prus, University of Waterloo, Canada
• Andrea Salvini, University of Pisa, Italy
• Gregory Smith, University of Salford, United Kingdom
• Lisa-Jo K. van den Scott, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Canada

Conference Organizing Team (University of Lodz)