‘First-Timers’
… first ICCA, first encounters
Soraya Monticelli (University of Basel)
ICCA26 was a series of firsts for me. It was the first time I attended ICCA, and more broadly, the first time I attended an international conference as a PhD student. Being one of more than 400 attendees felt intimidating at first, but that sense of scale faded away as I engaged in countless personal exchanges along the way.
It was the first time I met researchers whose work I had read extensively, and that I saw them present their research in person. I attended many compelling talks – some directly relevant to my research, others that broadened my perspective well beyond my initial scope of interest. With so many parallel sessions running at the same time, feeling torn between talks was common, and more than once I found myself crossing the building just to make it to the next presentation that caught my interest. I also met fellow PhD students, some further along in their journey than I am, others just starting out, and we traded tips – and occasionally secrets – for a successful conference, a strong presentation, a solid poster session, and, ultimately, a finished thesis.
ICCA26 was also the first time I presented part of my PhD thesis to the wider international community. For the first time, I had to present my own research live in front of an audience I did not know and respond to questions about my work. After the talk, people came up to me with further questions, some of which I had never asked myself, giving me the opportunity to look at my topic from a new perspective.
Looking back, for me, ICCA26 was defined by many new experiences, each one pushing me a little further out of my comfort zone. I came away with new knowledge, new connections, new confidence, and new questions for my research.
Alonso Vásquez Kanashiro (Pontifical Catholic University of Peru, Lima)
ICCA 2026 will always be one of the most significant experiences I’ve ever had – academically, socially, and intellectually. Not only was it my first time attending and presenting at an international conference, but it was also my first opportunity to meet other members of the EMCA community in person. I met several Latin American colleagues from Conversanalista – the group that first welcomed me and where I have been participating in weekly online data sessions ever sense. I still cherish the conversations we had during the conference, which reinforced our sense of an increasingly united and convergent Spanish-speaking EMCA community.
The pre-conference workshops were equally outstanding and genuinely transformed my understanding of the field. I am grateful to Leelo Keevallik and Emily Hofstetter, who helped me better understand how embodiment and sensoriality can be analytically captured. Elwys De Stefani’s workshop was fascinating as well, introducing me to observational fieldwork and data collection through a wonderful exposition of the EMCA ‘analytic mentality’.
As for the conference itself, attending different panels made me appreciate the remarkable diversity of phenomena, events, and settings that conversation analysts examine – from the management of conflict in interaction, to the deployment of minimal resources, to the accomplishment of everyday material activities. Above all, the exchanges I had with fellow scholars remain memorable. I enjoyed learning what they are currently working on and what interests them, and I appreciate the reflections we had on what characterizes our particular approach to social and linguistic inquiry. Today, ICCA is, for me, a space where my interest in social interaction takes shape through encounters with others and face-to-face presentations of what we all do: closely observe how social life, in all its diversity and complexity, gets done.
‘Returners’
… been to ICCA before, back for more
Rachel Chen (Nanyang Technological University, Singapore)
As Conversation Analysts, we spend our careers examining the diverse ways through which people participate in social life moment-by-moment. After my fourth ICCA, I am left with gratitude for 12 years of participation in an academic community that has, in various ways, felt like home through many life stages. As scholars, we are not simply privy to the development of a field, but also its ongoing authors. It is truly a privilege to contribute, in however small a way, to the conversations that grow a field.
This time was particularly meaningful for me: I had the opportunity to co-organize a panel, “Musicality as a foundational dimension in social interaction” with Gregory Ang, pulling into discussion many fascinating papers on musicality across different contexts. It was so fun looking at how the grooves of non-speaking Autistic adults are in fact similar to Hip-Hop cypher circles and ballet instruction. I was struck by how profoundly CA has shaped my thinking, and how fortunate I have been to engage with scholars I truly admire, both within my panel and across the conference.
I recalled my first foray at ICCA 2014, which included a formative workshop with Chuck Goodwin, a two-hour conversation with Manny in between panels, a Meet-the-Professor lunch with Steven Levinson, and beer with scholars of Autistic interaction. This year, I got to hug old friends, make new ones, ask questions, engage with all kinds of data, and be once again invigorated by these interactions. It is belonging to such a community that makes academic life special. I express my heartfelt thanks to Xiaoting Li, Emma Betz, and the organizing committee for helming the largest conference in our field! I also hold Shannon Ward in my thoughts with fondness. Your warmth, friendship, and camaraderie enriched our community in ways that continue to be felt.
Burak Tekin (Ankara Yıldırım Beyazıt University)
Three ICCAs. Three continents. One evolving journey. As I collected my name badge for ICCA 2026, I realized that I was not attending just another conference. I was stepping into the next chapter of a journey that had begun in Loughborough, UK, continued in Brisbane, Australia, and now led me to Edmonton, Canada. Even though ICCA had crossed continents, the most important change was not the venue, but my own perspective. This chapter felt less like repeating a familiar experience and more like seeing it through fresh eyes.
This time, I found myself less focused on the novelty of the event and more engaged with the ideas explored. While many presentations offered plenty of food for thought, it was the panels—for instance, the one on (un)availability and another one on common ground—that encouraged me to reconsider important issues, such as co-presence and intersubjectivity, in new ways. Equally memorable was the special session dedicated to Schegloff’s memory. Listening to colleagues share their memories made me appreciate how scholarly influence can travel not only through publications, but also through personal connections and intellectual mentorship.
Beyond the formal program, some of the most valuable moments emerged during informal conversations over coffee breaks. These exchanges often raised more questions than they answered, reminding me of what I value most about conferences: revisiting core concepts and approaching familiar phenomena through different lenses. Grateful to the colleagues and friends who made these conversations meaningful, I left ICCA 2026 not only with new insights, but also with a refreshed eagerness to keep asking questions.
Anne White (UCSD)
I still vividly remember running into Tanya Stivers in the Haines Hall staircase at the end of my first UCLA graduate student year. It was 2011, and I was finishing the 2nd quarter of the CA methods sequence. Tanya asked if I’d be interested in being a graduate student organizer of ICCA 2014, explaining that UCLA would be the proud host of the biggest international CA conference that met every 4 years. I was baffled by this offer, and my mind raced: 1) I’d never even attended an academic conference 2) still in my 20s, I very much felt that the young and free could die at any point (as if I were Janis Joplin!) and committing that many years into the future seemed outrageous. I blurted, “I’m not sure I’ll be alive in 2014.” Tanya, without skipping a beat, replied (an expert in negotiation that I hadn’t yet realized!), “Well, let’s just assume you will be.” And so I was enlisted and participated in countless meetings for the next 3 years, planning ICCA 2014 one snack break at a time.
It is with this “professional vision” that I now attend ICCAs since I’m still alive (who knew!), Edmonton being my 3rd. I smiled at the “IT helpers” in their bright yellow t-shirts, remembering picking a similar color over a decade ago, for these volunteers we desperately seek when our audio malfunctions for the video clips we’ve poured hours into transcribing and trimming. There’s nothing quite like seeing colleagues—familiar or new, retired or bright-eyed, ordinary or applied—eagerly share their data, willing us to see what they see. As everyone knows, prepping an ICCA presentation is a unique beast, carving out extra minutes to show our data, not just claim our analysis.
The reminder that what makes CA unique was shared so eloquently on our last conference day when we honored Emanuel Schegloff’s memory, which was truly such an exceptional event both professionally and personally, and a day I believe that will stay with us as a transformative collective memory. As a student who had just missed being trained by Manny, I was beyond moved to hear the touching tributes by those who had, while getting a fuller sense of his larger-than-life personality by watching the video installation of Manny gesturing, pondering, laughing, and teaching that Lorenza Mondada so artistically stitched together. From Danielle Pillet-Shore sharing how Manny taught her that reveling in data is a joy and what motivates us to keep moving forward our research, to Alexa Hepburn sharing how Manny taught her that once you learn how to “notice” you can’t stop noticing. I recognized that distinct feeling she described of making eye contact with Manny after such a noticing, the thrill of catching a fellow conversation analyst’s eye, knowing that you-saw-what-they-saw. It was also so touching to hear about the personal side of Manny, who went out of his way to make sure international visitors were taken care of in LA—even lending cooking pots, as Anssi Peräklyä poignantly shared, Manny was “nourishing” him both by day and night.
Lastly, I won’t forget the surreal feeling of looking around the auditorium to see the hundreds of people from all over the world who have made it their life’s work to be conversation analysts as John Heritage told the tale of the uphill battle Manny faced after his colleague and friend Harvey Sack’s untimely death, and how the field was so close to extinction after being on the cusp of so much (a UCSB center for social interaction)—and John’s reflection about Manny’s persistence invoked such a sense of pride in what Manny made happen, and on how all of us are still making it happen…one noticing at a time.
‘Regulars’
… been to nearly every ICCA, if not all of them
Marjorie Harness Goodwin (UCLA)
What an incredible conference!
From her very first conference opening speech to her final send-off Xiaoting made me feel warmly welcomed to Alberta. Witnessing my misadventures with mosquitoes one morning, she thoughtfully gifted me some hypoallergenic mosquito repellent before the closing ceremony – an especially timely gift as I was about to embark on a visit to Jasper National Park.
It was thrilling for me to re-connect with colleagues I’ve known for a lifetime. What could be more fun than having time to sit and chat with friends! Getting to hear about the new research of exciting young scholars – such as participants on the panel on Musicality as a Foundational Dimension in Social Interaction—was a highlight as well. I enjoyed thoroughly the panel I participated in, Social Interactions where Death is Relevant, organized by Kristin Pecanac and Marco Pino, especially since my current research interest deals with “dying as a part of living.” The breaks between sessions permitted time for intense conversations with participants on this panel. I also enjoyed talking with participants on other health care related panels as well, such as Psychotherapy and Consultation, Affect and Stance in Interaction, Conversation Analysis and Social Work, the Mutual Consequentiality of Physician Patient Communication Practices and Health Care Interaction. Aug Nishizaka’s “Touch and Vision at Japanese Obstetrical and Midwifery Settings” was nothing short of a virtuoso performance. Aug is so deserving of a Lifetime Achievement Award, along with Betty Couper-Kuhlen and Christian Heath.
The poster session provided a great way to engage in animated extended dialogue with researchers. I really enjoyed hearing Mayumi Bono talk about her work on Mouthing in Japanese Sign Language Interaction. I hope more time is devoted to posters in the future, perhaps in a less noisy environment.
I’m looking forward to ICCA 2030 in Linköping.