Robert Dingwall
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From: Self <LZN2/LQZRD>
To: Becky Erickson <R1RJE@VM1.CC.UAKRON.EDU>
Subject: SSSI Notes
Date sent: Thu, 15 Feb 1996 10:03:49
I realise that we have forgotten to agree a length for the piece
about the Couch-Stone here. Please edit this if it is too long (or
ask me for more copy if it isn't!)
1996 Couch-Stone Symposium
Crossing Boundaries
University of Nottingham
July 15-17
Despite the best efforts of the weather-gods and the divinities of
both email and snail mail, planning for the SSSI meeting here in
Nottingham next summer is well on course. Folded into this issue of
SSSI Notes, you should find a booking form. Please help to prevent
the organizers chewing their nails too much by sending it back as
soon as you can! If you have a colleague or friend who would like to
come, please copy the form and pass it on.
The Programme
Letters of invitation were a bit slow going out because of an email
failure between Nottingham and South Bank University in London, who
had offered to do that part of the administration. When they did go
out, they hit a mail strike in London and then arrived on the East
coast with the blizzard. We saw the pictures on network TV here:
Washington looked great but I guess it did not do much for the US
mail! Anyway, we think we have invited about 80 people to present
papers: if you have not heard, please email or fax me and I will
send you a letter of invitation by return.
One thing that did work was fixing our plenary speakers. We are
lucky to have two very distinguished scholars. From the Free
University of Berlin, Professor Hans Joas will be opening the
meeting. Hans is one of the foremost writers on GH Mead and has
proposed the title, `The Autonomy of the Self: the Meadian Heritage
and its Postmodern Challenge'. What might Mead have thought about
the postmodern turn in SI? Here is an opportunity to reflect on that
question. The closing plenary will be given by Professor Robert M
Emerson from UCLA. Bob has proposed the title, `Reclaiming the
Field'. He will bring us back to some of these questions in
outlining his views about the centrality of empirical work to the
interactionist tradition.
The filling in the sandwich displays the range of interests within
the broad church of microsociology, from post-modern studies of
culture to ethnomethodological studies of work. Speakers are
expected to include Paul Atkinson, David Altheide, Bob Burgess, Adele
Clarke, Jeff Coulter, Sara Delamont, Gary Fine, Martyn Hammersley,
Christian Heath, Donileen Loseke, Michael Lynch, David Maines, Gale
Miller, Anssi Perakyla, Ann Rawls and David Silverman. Special
panels have been arranged on work and technology, counselling and
society, studies of cognition and Cardiff ethnography. Other
sessions reflect a range of interests in social theory, education,
health and social care, work and occupations, culture and media.
Where else can you hear about funeral directors, mushroom picking,
guide dogs and the Sooty Show, all in one meeting?
The Social Package
Veronica James from the local organizing team is editing a strictly
unofficial guide to pubs, restaurants and other activities which will
supplement the tourist office packs that we have ordered. Trust
Nicky's team to pick the best deals or find them yourself.
Nottingham is an undiscovered treasure for the tourist and any
accompanying persons can be sure of a great time. For the meeting-
goers, we have arranged a banquet with Mr Man's Chinese Restaurant.
This is one of the best Chinese restaurants in a city where this is a
real challenge. It is housed in the converted stable block of a
Tudor mansion near the University. If the weather is fine, take half
an hour to walk through the grounds of the hall, admiring the deer
and the wild cattle. If it rains, take one of the free buses that we
have organized from the campus! For those of you who, like me, are
allergic to MSG, please be assured that Mr Man's is an MSG-free zone:
it is one of the few Chinese restaurants in which I feel quite safe
to eat.
The campus accomodation has all been checked and OKed by the local
team. I know that a number of you have asked about hotels: at the
moment there is plenty of choice and plenty of beds. Nottingham is
busy in June hosting some matches in soccer's European Cup, but July
is less congested. However, if you would like a hotel room, it would
help us if you could return your booking form early. We can easily
add extra campus rooms but the hotel stock will become limited.
I guess that's it. If you have any special queries, please contact
me. All of us here want all of you to have a good time. Just let us
know what it will take. See you in July.
Robert Dingwall
Robert Dingwall
School of Social Studies
University of Nottingham
Nottingham NG7 2RD
United Kingdom
Tel +44 (115) 951-5418
Fax +44 (115) 951-5232