Group Processes Conference

Session Submission Type: Preconference

Description

This will be the 38th Group Processes conference, which is held annually, just prior to ASA. The Group Processes conference provides an opportunity for sociologists and other social scientists to share research about small group processes. This preconference brings together theoretically innovative and empirically rigorous scholarship that examines micro and meso-level processes. Specifically, research presented at this conference often demonstrates how micro- and meso-level processes shape—and can be leveraged to transform—structural-level systems of stratification.
Given the 2026 ASA Annual Meeting theme, Disrupting the Status Quo: Putting Sociology to Work for a More Equitable Society, the Group Processes preconference is a natural fit. Specifically, group processes research often systematically articulates and empirically tests how the small group offers a promising site for interventions that disrupt inequalities to advance a more equitable society. For example, previous research has demonstrated that changes in small group and meso-level norms decrease inequality.
This preconference will foreground research that uses theoretical insights to develop pragmatic interventions to inequality. By centering group processes as a bridge between theory and action, the preconference advances sociology’s capacity to move beyond explanation toward intervention. In doing so, it directly responds to the urgency of the current moment and pursues sustained, equitable social change.

Sub Unit

• Preconferences

Presenters

• Jenny L. Davis, Vanderbilt University

• Bianca Manago, Vanderbilt University

Session Organizers

• Bianca Manago, Vanderbilt University

• Jenny L. Davis, Vanderbilt University