The Manchester Conference, July 2001
Orders of Ordinary Action
A Report:
Participants:
The conference was attended by over 170 scholars from around the world. Sixteen countries were represented. Participants ranged from internationally renowned senior figures in the fields of ethnomethodology and conversation analysis (including the founding figure of the discipline, Professor Harold Garfinkel from UCLA) to postgraduate students and newcomers to the field. The conference was interdisciplinary in nature, with scholars from diverse backgrounds, including sociology, psychology, computer science, linguistics, anthropology, philosophy and education.
Papers:
Over the three full days of the conference some 70 papers were presented in the regular sessions, and there were four plenary presentations. Overwhelmingly, the papers presented consisted of empirical analyses of activities and settings of human action. Such activities and settings included teaching and learning in schools, the organisation of health care in medical settings, social practices in domestic settings and the use of technology in the workplace. The four plenaries were given by Professor Michael Lynch (Cornell), Professor Harold Garfinkel (UCLA), Professor Wes Sharrock and Dr. Graham Button (Manchester & Xerox, Cambridge, respectively) and Professor George Psathas (Boston).
Establishment of International Steering Committee:
At a business meeting of the Institute a new International Steering Committee (20 members) was established to oversee and organise the activities of the IIEMCA and to plan and coordinate future conferences. The next conference is scheduled for Summer 2003 in Manchester.
Reactions to Conference:
Reactions have been overwhelmingly positive. The organisers, Stephen Hester and David Francis, have received numerous, highly complimentary e-mails from conference participants. The announcement of the 2003 conference was met with resounding approval.
Publication of Proceedings:
The organisers invited participants to submit completed papers by November 1, 2001, for consideration for inclusion in at least one edited book based on the conference. Discussion with publishers have been initiated. Two projects are under consideration. Provisional titles are: Orders of Ordinary Action: Respecifying Sociological Knowledge and The Legacy of Harvey Sacks: Developments in the Study of Talk and Interaction.