Landmarks & Future Adventures:Celebrating 50 years of Conversation Analysis

Overview

The year 2014 is a significant one for us as conversation analysts.  It is 40 years since the landmark publication of Simplest Systematics (Sacks et al, 1974); 30 years since the publication of Structures of Social Action (Atkinson & Heritage, 1984); and, as we were recently reminded at the world’s largest ever CA conference – ICCA, held last month at the birthplace of CA – it is now 50 years since Sacks gave his first lecture on conversation analysis.  Capitalising on this moment in time, we are holding a symposium on the 29th July to celebrate and reflect critically on the accomplishments, challenges, and future possibilities created by the field’s exponential growth over the last five decades

CA has a long and respected history in the Sociology department at York and also more broadly across the university (e.g. in Language & Linguistics, Education, Psychology and Health Sciences).  This interdisciplinarity has afforded conversation analysts at York the opportunity to work in innovative ways that often push at the boundaries both of our individual disciplines and of the CA paradigm.  We have found ourselves invigorated and, at times, challenged by this, as our work both connects with and troubles the mainstream.  At this key point in CA’s development, we welcome the opportunity to talk creatively with like-minded colleagues about where conversation analysis has come from and where it’s going.

The idea is to keep this informal, open-ended, creative and playful – to create a space for reflection that is often absent from our busy working lives.  This is, then, not a conference!  We will kickstart the day with a few reflections from colleagues at York.  But these are intended only as a means of setting the scene for semi-structured discussion sessions that will form the bulk of the day’s programme.  In order to ensure a diversity of perspective, we have invited guests from outside the UK – some of whom will be asked to help facilitate aspects of the day – but the expectation is that all participants will have plenty of opportunity to contribute collaboratively in a range of small-group discussions.  There is no need to prepare anything in advance.

The symposium is generously funded by the Department of Sociology at the University of York.  There is no fee to attend but numbers are limited to ensure that small group discussions remain practicable.  It is therefore necessary to book.

Lunch and teas/coffees will be provided.  All participants are welcome to attend dinner after the symposium.  However, this will need to be paid for on an individual basis.  Please also book for the dinner if you want to attend so that we can arrange a suitable venue, depending on numbers.  (Dinner reservations: sarah.shrive-morrison@york.ac.uk)   

Programme

09:30 – 10:00  Coffee and catch up

10:00 – 11:00 Welcome and scene setting

11:00 – 11:30  Coffee break

11:30 – 12:30  Mapping the landmarks

12:30 – 14:00  Lunch

14:00 – 14:30  (Re)Viewing the map

14:30 – 15:30 Growing points and pains

15:30 – 16:00  Coffee break

16:00 – 17:30  Feedback from previous session and roundtable discussion

19.00 Dinner at a restaurant in York city centre

Registration

Please register via the Eventbrite website