International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry 2027
May 28-30, 2027
University of Georgia
Athens, Georgia
Qualitative Inquiry: Creating Inclusive Communities for Pluriversal Futures
The field of qualitative inquiry has long been characterized by diversity and debate across a multitude of disciplines. This community of scholars has for decades advanced theoretical and methodological approaches to qualitative and mixed methods inquiry in ways that seek to contribute to a just and inclusive society. For the relaunching of an in-person International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry in May 2027, we invite scholars to reflect on the collective histories of our fields, critically engage with the challenges of this moment, and imagine just, equitable, and inclusive futures in a world of many worlds. Scholars are invited to explore the institutional, social, technological, environmental, political, and ethical challenges facing people globally, and the methodological, theoretical, and practical strategies researchers use to explore research problems. We welcome scholarship that examines the diversity of traditions, epistemologies, theories, methodologies and practices that drive and shape inquiry.
Learning about and from Qualitative Inquiry
How have the histories of qualitative and mixed methods research shaped current practice, and what can we learn from these to navigate current challenges?
- What can we learn from the histories of research methods that can inform how we meet current challenges in the conduct of research?
- What key debates in qualitative inquiry and mixed methods inquiry endure, and how might these be reimagined for current times?
- How might researchers respond to challenges to academic freedom, education for democracy, and public trust in research?
- What ethical questions arise as scholars experiment with participatory, arts-based, decolonizing, Indigenous, new materialist and other approaches to research?
Creating Inclusive Communities
How can we foster flourishing communities that embrace difference and facilitate dialogue among diverse communities?
- How has qualitative inquiry deepened understanding of who and what constitutes community?
- How are communities being reshaped by migration, technology, and environmental change?
- How do researchers create spaces for pluriversal dialogue that support multiple ways of knowing and being in the world?
- How do scholars communicate research creatively within and beyond the academy to broaden participation and public engagement?
Building pluriversal futures
How can qualitative and mixed methods research help us imagine and create futures in which all can flourish?
- How do we collaboratively leverage traditional and innovative theories and methods to answer complex questions of our time?
- How are qualitative and mixed methods researchers exploring “wicked problems” through collaborative, interdisciplinary and community-engaged inquiry?
- How can qualitative and mixed methods inquirers contribute to social change, democratic participation and collective well-being through their research?
- What might pluriversal futures that recognize the interdependence of human and non-human systems look like, and how can researchers support communities to imagine and collectively work toward them?