Catherine L Tam

Catherine L Tam

@cathtam.bsky.social

Here for #academicsky and #EMCA news. Researcher and lecturer fascinated by interaction, conversation analysis and ethnomethodology. JHB, South Africa.

322 Followers 154 Following 19 Posts Joined Sep 2024
3 months ago

*wink wink*
*nudge nudge*
Remember this paper by me and analyst-comrade Dr Emma Tennent? You might have seen it earlier this year. The special issue on "social asymmetries-in-action" of which it is a part is now published. Recommend all the wonderful contributions. Such amazing work by all.

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3 months ago
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Guest blog: Ethnomethodology, from Manchester to MS Teams One of the most adhesive binding agents for researchers in EM/CA is the weekly get-together, whether to pore over data or to discuss the week’s chosen reading. Some reading groups and data se…

New blog on the ROLSI website on The Ethnomethodology Reading Group, its history, disputes, challenges, and payoffs. Oh, and the spectre of the poker...

If you want to join us, get in touch. New members are always welcome.

#EMCA #EM/CA #Wittgenstein

rolsi.net/2025/12/02/g...

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3 months ago

"The (Re)Production, Negotiation, and
Navigation of Social Asymmetries-in-Action:
An Introduction to the Special Issue" by Catherine L. Tam and Robin James Smith #sijournal #sociology #EMCA #SSSI #interactionism - onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10....

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3 months ago

I learnt so much from this project, the reviewers, contributors and especially from @robinjsmith.bsky.social. Thank you all!

@dollyeldritch.bsky.social
@emma-richardson.bsky.social @lizstokoe.bsky.social @daniellarafaely.bsky.social
@laalaajenkins.bsky.social

#EMCA

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3 months ago
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We have an incredible opportunity to learn about #EMCA early next year.

Join us for an in-person introductory workshop on Conversation Analysis with Visiting Prof Tom Koole.

26th and 27th January 2026

Register here: forms.office.com/pages/respon...

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4 months ago
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Our last data session for the year is taking place on 14 November and will be an in person event.

@jennywatermeyer.bsky.social will be presenting her data on Machine Translation and Lingustics (In)equity in Clinical
Interactions. #EMCA

Register here: forms.office.com/r/z0HAhEywcD

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5 months ago
About | iiemca27

📢Meet the IIEMCA27 Keynote Speakers.

Read about their work on the conference website:
www.iiemca27.org/about

#EMCA #MCA

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5 months ago

Official dates for IIEMCA27!
Mark your calendars: 6-9 July 2027...

Though we'd recommend a few extra days to take full advantage of all that can be enjoyed around Johannesburg, beyond Gauteng, and across South Africa!

After all the conference theme is New Horizons 🚀

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6 months ago

Join the #EMCA workshop on transcription

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8 months ago
The logo for InterAct, a group for the empirical study of social interaction. The group is based in South Africa, at Wits University.

IIEMCA27 is being organised by InterAct, a group of scholars at Wits working to advance ethnomethodological conversation analysis (EMCA) in South Africa.
#EMCA #MCA

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9 months ago
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Thank you @robinjsmith.bsky.social for an inspiring 3 and a half days of exploring #MCA and potential projects for @iiemca27.bsky.social. We are already looking forward to your next visit.
#EMCA

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9 months ago
Wits InterAct workshop on MCA 2025 Post image

Thank you InterAct members for an incredible 3 days of MCA magic with @robinjsmith.bsky.social at Wits

#EMCA @jennywatermeyer.bsky.social @cathtam.bsky.social

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9 months ago

As chilly winter temperatures set in, we look at Wits University -host of IIEMCA27- which will be 105 years old in 2027.
Wits is a multi-campus university that spans 400 hectares in Braamfontein and Parktown (Johannesburg). There is so much to experience at Wits...

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9 months ago

That’s really helpful, thank you. We should be able to keep them plugged in during recording. The good quality audio with additional mic options is really appealing.

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9 months ago
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Trump ambushes South African president in Oval Office with video | CNN South African President Cyril Ramaphosa sat in awkward silence as he listened to a video US President Donald Trump played in the Oval Office. CNN’s Larry Madowo reports that Trump was pushing debunked...

staging a show-and-tell about a fake genocide during a real genocide to the government that has done the most to seek justice for that real genocide is designed to break our brains. They know what they are doing. www.cnn.com/2025/05/21/w...

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10 months ago

Brilliant! We will be able to plug in and the lab has good indoor lighting so this could be a good fit. Thanks so much.

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10 months ago

Hi #EMCA community
I’m looking for recommendations for cameras & equipment to capture audio visual data for a small group of people interacting with a robot. There will be 4 robot stations, 1 in each corner of a room. Each station could have a camera. Thanks!!!

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10 months ago
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Calling local EMCA scholars:

Unlock the Power of Membership Categorisation Analysis with Visiting Professor @robinjsmith.bsky.social
27 – 29 May | Wits University | Research Methods Workshop

Register here: forms.office.com/r/y9v7BW9Zuh

Start preparing for @iiemca27.bsky.social

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11 months ago
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This month we turn to Gauteng, the province where IIEMCA27 will be hosted…
#EMCA @interactemca.bsky.social www.iemca27.org

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10 months ago

@robinjsmith.bsky.social ‘s brilliant addition to our Asymmetries in Action special issue is now available online.
#EMCA
@francescaorfw.bsky.social

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1 year ago
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On 28 March join us for our next ONLINE data session where @emma-richardson.bsky.social will share her coauthored work on 'vulnerability' in police interviews. #EMCA register to receive the link: forms.office.com/r/968kzaMtmA

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1 year ago
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Call for Submissions Call For Submissions The 2026 International Conference on Conversation Analysis (ICCA2026) will be held at the University of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada, from June 26-29, 2026 (pre-conference worksho…

Next year's Intl Conference on #ConversationAnalysis is happening at my home institution, the #UniversityofAlberta, in Canada. The call is out now! Spread the word! #EMCA #sts icca2026.org/callforsubmi...

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1 year ago
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Navigating Omnirelevant Asymmetry: Encouraging Children to Exercise Their Deontic Rights in Videoconferencing Music Lessons The educational community has long critiqued teacher-centered instruction, promoting student-centered learning. Yet, pre-assumed teacher-student category relevance may overlook momentary asymmetries ...

Informed by ethnomethodology, conversation analysis and the notions of “deontic rights” and “the developmental scheme,” we show how participants orient toward omnirelevant asymmetries to influence a course of action, (re)producing dynamic categorial pairs in situated moments: doi.org/10.1002/symb...

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1 year ago
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Navigating Omnirelevant Asymmetry: Encouraging Children to Exercise Their Deontic Rights in Videoconferencing Music Lessons The educational community has long critiqued teacher-centered instruction, promoting student-centered learning. Yet, pre-assumed teacher-student category relevance may overlook momentary asymmetries ...

The next paper in the Asymmetries in Action special issue is available online.
Check it out: doi.org/10.1002/symb...
#EMCA
@robinjsmith.bsky.social @francescaorfw.bsky.social

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1 year ago

This is amazing!

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1 year ago

New Article: “Moral Communities in a Race Status Negotiation: A Dorm Room Urination Case” by Catherine L. Tam and Daniella Fafaely doi.org/10.1002/symb... #sssi #emca #sociology #race #interaction

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1 year ago
YouTube
Why South Africa Has 3 Capital Cities YouTube video by Risen Africa

In 2027, IIEMCA is coming to South Africa.
South Africa is…
unique for having 3 capital cities:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=DFkZ...

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1 year ago
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Moral Communities in a Race Status Negotiation: A Dorm Room Urination Case In 2022, at a South African university, a white student was filmed urinating on the belongings of a black student. Although race was invoked as an a priori account for this incident, we demonstrate h....

onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10....

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1 year ago
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The next paper on asymmetries in action for our special issue of Symbolic Interaction is out. @robinjsmith.bsky.social @francescaorfw.bsky.social

Daniella & I examine a dorm room urination incident as an attempted and resisted status degradation ceremony #EMCA
@interactemca.bsky.social

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