Reflecting on the Past, Building the Future: 50 Years of Expectation States and Status Characteristics
May 16–18, 2027
Memphis, Tennessee
Submissions are invited for a special conference celebrating 50 years since Berger and colleagues’ foundational book, Status Characteristics and Social Interaction: An Expectation States Approach.
The conference will highlight innovative research that advances expectation states theory (EST) and status characteristics theory (SCT), theoretically or empirically. Following the conference, an edited volume will feature papers presented at the meeting.
Submissions using a range of methodological approaches are welcome, including laboratory experiments, computational modeling, and field studies. Topics may include:
- Theoretical Extensions: New formalizations, mathematical models, or integrations of expectation states research with other theoretical traditions, such as identity theory, social exchange, and network analysis.
- Status Construction: Empirical and theoretical research on how new status characteristics emerge, spread, and become legitimated.
- Intervention: Strategies and behavioral interventions designed to change the effects of status in task groups.
Abstract submission deadline: January 15, 2027
The conference welcomes scholars from sociology as well as related fields, including communication, psychology, and management.
Organizing Committee
- Lisa Slattery Walker, UNC Charlotte
- Joseph Dippong, UNC Charlotte
- Jon Overton, UNC Charlotte
- Zara Jillani, University of Georgia
- Gretchen Peterson, University of Memphis
For additional details and submission information, visit tinyurl.com/sctconference.
