ISRI’s 31st Annual Meeting, 2025, Partnering with SSEA

Dear ISRI Members,

We’re excited to share our plans for ISRI’s “off-year” conference in 2025. This June, ISRI will join the Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood (SSEA) at their biennial conference:

Wednesday, June 4 – Friday, June 6, 2025
Charleston, South Carolina

The main SSEA conference will focus on research during the developmental period of Emerging Adulthood and will feature multiple presentations of interest to identity researchers.

ISRI has organized two special dedicated events in collaboration with our SSEA colleagues from their Identity Topic Network.

The first is a pre-conference dedicated to Identity topics, on Wed, June 4th.
The second is a special session featured during the main conference on “Identity and Emerging Adulthood” with speakers from both our fields.

Details are below. Please note the registration requirements.

1. ISRI & SSEA Identity Topic Network Preconference

Wednesday, June 4, 2025
Full-day preconference (or join us for a half-day).

This year, join us to meet up with our colleagues from the SSEA Identity Topic Network! During our full-day pre-conference, we will offer content of broad interest to scholars interested in topics relating to identity. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet, get acquainted, and foster connections with student, early-career, and veteran researchers studying identity from multiple perspectives and in diverse contexts. We will also have a workshop on cutting-edge methodology for studying narrative text.

Morning Session (9am-12pm)

ISRI Roundtable WelcomeThe day will begin with the traditional, ISRI introduction roundtable. Attendees will be oriented to the day’s events and introduced to one another in the welcoming spirit of building a stronger identity research community.
Methodology Workshop: Dr. Mary Kate Koch (Gonzaga University)

“Text Mining Methods for Narratives and Other Textual Data”

The words young people use and the stories they choose to share can reveal a lot of information about important processes like identity development. However, making sense of these words can be intensive. Researchers are increasingly utilizing text mining methods, which offer powerful tools for exploring patterns in large-scale narrative and textual datasets. This workshop will introduce core methods in text mining, including preprocessing techniques, and basic natural language processing (i.e., topic modeling and sentiment analysis). These methods will be introduced using practical applications in developmental and psychological research, which will include discussing how to apply these tools to participant narratives, interviews, social media data, and other textual data sources.
Participants will learn how to use text mining to identify themes and complement traditional qualitative coding approaches (e.g., thematic analysis). No prior programming experience is required. The workshop will include R code and guided exercises using sample data that will also be walked through during the session. At the conclusion of the session, attendees will be equipped with a foundation for incorporating text mining into their own research.

Afternoon Session (1pm-4pm)

Topical Networking in Small Groups
Participants will engage in structured small-group discussions organized around shared interests (e.g., gender and sexual orientation, narrative, mental health). A curated list of conversation starters will help inspire potential research collaborations.
Invited Poster Session
This session features identity researchers – from students to senior scholars – presenting cutting-edge empirical, theoretical, and in-progress work. Attendees, including field experts, will engage presenters in discussion and offer feedback on emerging projects.

Register for the full-day (65 USD) or half-day (40 USD) preconference here:
https://www.ssea.org/conferences/south-carolina-2025/preconference-workshops/

2. Joint ISRI–SSEA Conference Session (tentatively scheduled for late Thursday morning).

“Identity Across the Lifespan: The Mutual Benefits of Understanding Identity in Emerging Adulthood and Beyond”

In this special roundtable session, moderated by Dena Swanson (UNC Greensboro), we will explore the synergistic relationship in understanding how identity in developmental stages outside of emerging adulthood can deepen insights into identity during emerging adulthood. Scholars who study identity across the lifespan will examine shared interests, potential synergies, and disciplinary oversights.

Clare Mehta (Emmanuel College) – Research uses a lifespan theoretical perspective in examining Established Adulthood, ages 30-45, and the impact of gender related processes on identity development across the lifespan.
Joseph Schwab (Bridgewater State University) – Research focuses on the narrative construction of identity in adolescence and adulthood in exploring how people create meaning and purpose in their lives through the stories they tell.
Seth Schwartz (University of Texas at Austin) – Research focuses on immigration and acculturation, and ways in which cultural change affects family relationships and identity processes in adolescents and emerging adults.
Barbara Thelamour (Swarthmore College) – Research focuses on the acculturation processes of immigrant adolescents and emerging adults, specifically among Black immigrants, emphasizing identity development as a key acculturation process.
Closing remarks by Presidents of ISRI and SSEA.

Best,

The joint organizing committee on behalf of of SSEA-Identity Topic Network and ISRI

Alan Meca
Kaylin Ratner
Elli Schachter
Joe Schwab
Dena Swanson

We look forward to seeing you in Charleston!

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Our 31st Annual Meeting

Wednesday June 4th – Friday June 6th, 2025

Charleston, South Carolina

We’re excited to announce that for ISRI’s “off-year” conference in 2025, we will be partnering with the Society for the Study of Emerging Adulthood (SSEA)

ISRI will host a pre-conference dedicated to identity on June 4th, in collaboration with our SSEA hosts. A separate call and notice for this event will be published soon.

Additionally, we are planning a joint session on “Identity and Emerging Adulthood,” which will be featured during the main conference.

We look forward to seeing you in Charleston!

Details on the SSEA conference can be found here: https://www.ssea.org/conferences/south-carolina-2025/

Pre Conference Poster Session – Submit by March 28th!

While we finalize some of our other plans, we invite you to submit poster session proposals for the preconference. These can feature empirical studies, theoretical contributions, and works in progress from across the identity scholarship. The poster session is scheduled as part of our afternoon session of the preconference. It will take place at 2:45-4:00pm on June 4th.

Submissions are due by March 28.

You can find more information, including submission guidelines, by clicking here.

Just FYI, the preconference will have a morning session and an afternoon session. The rates for SSEA preconferences are 45$ for a half day, and 65$ for the full day.