Conversation Research Days 2026

The 2026 Conversation Research Days were organized at Tampere University on the crisp winter days of January 28–29. Jenny and Kati from Borderlines of Self project attended the event. The theme of the event was time and space in interaction, concepts that can be understood in both concrete and abstract ways. The event program featured a range of presentations examining interactional spaces constructed in different ways. These included both face-to-face and digital settings, where lived and experienced time intertwines with the sequential organization of interaction. The keynote speaker was Professor Esa Lehtinen from the University of Jyväskylä, who delivered his plenary lecture on Thursday. After the inspiring keynote and other presentations, the day concluded with a dinner at restaurant Telakka.

Jenny Paananen gave her presentation on identification in group therapy on Friday. The presentation illustrated how a sense of shared identification is built through shared experiences and time, and explored ways to study the impact of identification processes on patients’ recovery. It sparked lively discussion, and we were also happy to receive valuable literature recommendations for future research.

Overall, the Conversation Research Days were a rewarding experience, with many topics strongly resonating with our own research interests. Particularly memorable were presentations on practices of mediation, negotiation, and guidance, strategies for externalizing agency in therapeutic interaction, and challenges of trust in communication with artificial intelligence. The event also brought together researchers’ experiences of using conversation analysis as a pedagogical tool, with many having applied the method beyond research contexts. Interestingly, the therapy method studied in the Borderlines of Self -project can also be seen as one way of doing conversation analysis with lay persons, as it teaches participants to make observations about videos.

Our next destination is Krakow, where we’ll be heading at the end of February to take part in the International Conference on Conversation Analysis and Psychotherapy. This year’s theme focuses on longitudinal perspectives in research on psychotherapy effectiveness. Stay with us on the journey by following our upcoming posts!

Jenny and Kati