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International Association of Qualitative Inquiry (IAQI)

Newsletter – February 2026

Message from the Co-Presidents and the IAQI Board of Directors

Dear IAQI and ICQI Community,

We hope this finds you well and thriving, despite these horrific times and because we must find ways to keep our community strong.  We understand that there may be folks still concerned about the future of ICQI, but we assure you that we continue to work diligently toward a new phase that will honour the important legacy of Norman K. Denzin and so many other committed members of our community. We are here to share with you the progress we have made since our Newsletter from last November.

IAQI Speaker Series Events

Since we were not able to re-organize in time for an ICQI in 2026, and given the political turmoil of our times, the IAQI Board of Directors thought it would be important to create a series of events to bring us together in fellowship, solidarity, and intellectual connection throughout the year.

Here is the first event of the Speaker Series, which we recently announced via our email distribution list (free to register):

Qualitative Inquiry in this Moment: The Dismantling and Assault of Higher Education

That we are living through “interesting or challenging times” seems to fall short of the dizzying speed, unpredictability, and multiple directions with which the landscape of qualitative research, science, and higher education is under attack in the United States. (and elsewhere). The current administration in Washington DC has been clear in its actions over the past year that programming, curriculum, access to federal research funds, policy and practice will be determined by the executive branch of federal government. Gender and Ethnic studies, social justice, DEI, academic freedom, science, and academics themselves are being targeted. The holding hostage of universities, colleges, and educational institutions has become the centerpiece of the administration’s assault on higher education. However, these ideas and actions did not simply emerge with the current Trump Administration; the groundwork began well before the 2024 election.

Our Speakers:

Dr. Abby Ferber is Professor of Sociology, and Chair of the Women’s and Ethnic Studies Department, is also the co-founding Director of the Matrix Center for the Advancement of Social Equity and Inclusion at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. Ferber’s research examines issues of privilege from an intersectional perspective. Her books include White Man Falling: Race, Gender, and White Supremacy, Home Grown Hate: Gender and the White Supremacist Movement and she is currently working on the third edition of her co-authored textbook, The Matrix of Race: Social Construction, Intersectionality and Inequality.

Dr. Marc Spooner is a full professor in the Faculty of Education at the University of Regina, in Saskatchewan, Canada. His research interests include audit culture, academic freedom, and the effects of neoliberalization and corporatization on higher education; as well as social justice, activism, and participatory democracy. He has published in many venues, including peer-reviewed journals, book chapters (two editions of the Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research, 5th & 6th), government reports, and a wide variety of popularizations. He is the co-editor of the award-winning book: Dissident Knowledge in Higher Education (U of Regina Press) as well as the forthcoming (February, 2026) Knowledge Under Siege: Charting a Future for Universities (U of Regina Press).

Join us on February 24th, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. EST, (12 noon CST, 11:00 a.m. MST, 10:00 a.m. PST, 8:00 p.m. UK) for the first in our series of Qualitative Inquiry in this Moment with Dr. Abby Ferber and Dr. Marc Spooner. They will share their analysis, research and insights of the shifting terrain in higher education and how we might navigate these ongoing machinations of autocratic change. This online webinar will provide an opportunity to hear about the work in this area by two well established scholars from a U.S. perspective and a Canadian perspective.

Registration is free and open to all. To register please click here: https://bit.ly/IAQIfeb24

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2027 ICQI Updates

• We are currently working on the possibility of hosting the 2027 ICQI in Chicago, given that we haven’t received proposals to host from community members since our last call in November of 2025. We will keep you posted about this pressing and central part of our work.
• We need help with the ICQI organization and will be glad to consider folks who would like to volunteer. If you think you have the time and energy for this task, please get in touch with Marcelo Diversi and Kathy Roulston via email.
• We explored the possibility of hosting it in a country other than the USA, for several reasons, but we were not able to find a good match for 2027. We might, however, have a chance to host it in the UK in 2028.  We will be coordinating with our European networks and colleagues once we get more set for the 2027 re-launch.
• Time is running out quickly, but we will still accept proposals for another month or two. Please see more information about that below.

ICQI 2027 Host Site Proposal

We have developed the ICQI Host Proposal Guidelines for institutions interested in hosting an in-person ICQI in 2027.
A decision will be made by March 2026.
To request a copy of the guidelines, please contact:
📧 diversi@wsu.edu or roulston@uga.edu

New IAQI Website

We are pleased to announce that a new IAQI website has been successfully launched!  You can check it out here: https://qualitativeinquiry.org/

Here are a few notes about the new website:

• We will post more frequent news and development about our plans for the 2027 ICQI, information about our 2026 Speaker Series Events, calls for help with the next steps in moving our renewed IAQI moving forward, etc. Please check it often.
• Please know that while the website is fully populated in many areas, it is still under construction. We will be correcting possible mistakes, improving navigation, adding new sections, and incorporating feedback from the community as we move forward.
• Please note that we have a new domain address: qualitativeinquiry.org
• The previous ICQI website address will automatically redirect you to the new one
• Content from the previous ICQI website has been preserved and will be available in the new IAQI website, most in the “Our History” tab
• Please note that we will be using new email addresses on all ICQI and IAQI communication moving forward. The new email address for questions is iaqi@qualitativeinquiry.org

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Update to SIG Information on the New ICQI Website

Dear SIG Chairs and Organizers,

We are writing to let you know that the information previously posted on the former ICQI website for each Special Interest Group (SIG) has been transferred to the new ICQI website.

At this time, the SIG descriptions reflect the content as it appeared on the former site. If you would like to revise or update the description of your SIG’s activities, focus, or leadership, please email us with the updated text, and we will be happy to make those changes.

Thank you for your continued leadership of the SIGs and for your contributions to the ICQI community.

Email: iaqi@qualitativeinquiry.org

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International Review of Qualitative Research (IRQR)

The IRQR is the official journal of the International Association of Qualitative Inquiry (IAQI). IRQR is a peer-reviewed journal founded to advance the use of critical, experimental, and traditional forms of qualitative inquiry towards the pursuit of social justice. It continues to receive submissions and be published quarterly even though we will not have a 2026 ICQI.  For more information and submission guidelines, please click HERE.

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Other Updates

• We continue to work on developing the new infrastructure (communication, financial, administrative)
• We are yet to work on gathering and organizing the new necessary committees for our renewed IAQI to operate in sustainable ways moving forward (Finances, Communications, Advisory Committee, Conference Organization, Sponsorship). We will focus on this step once we get more developed plans for the 2027 ICQI re-launch.

• Our distribution list includes all ICQI attendees from the 2023–2025 conferences.
  If you wish to opt out of future newsletters or to be added to the distribution list, please email: iaqi@qualitativeinquiry.org

Note: Some members previously opted out of the ICQI event platform (CVent) without realizing it would prevent them from receiving future updates. Please share this information with colleagues who may have missed communications.

ICQI 2026 Awards Reminder

As ICQI will not be held in 2026, our traditional awards — the Outstanding Book Award, Norman K. Denzin Qualitative Doctoral Dissertation Award, and Lifetime Achievement Award — will be paused for one year. Awards will resume in 2027, with full details to be shared by mid-2026 through the IAQI Newsletter and the new IAQI website.

IAQI Board of Directors

Closing Thoughts

Once again, we want to emphasize that together we are working toward a future that honours Dr. Norman K. Denzin’s legacy in establishing the International Congress of Qualitative Inquiry and nurturing our diverse, inclusive, caring, and powerful international community. We continue to count on you to help us foster renewed and reimagined spaces for global engagement, creative scholarship, and for our community of caring to thrive.

Warm regards,
Marcelo Diversi & Kathy Roulston
Co-Presidents, IAQI