Intricate gothic windows in spring

Previous CCS Spring Conferences

The Center for Cultural Sociology hosts our spring conference at the end of April every year. 

Our keynote speaker is Faculty Fellow Ruth Braunstein, University of Connecticut.

We also welcome CCS Faculty Fellows Thomas DeGloma and Isabel Jijon and Yale Professor Laura Adler. With presentations by CCS Postdoctoral Fellows, Junior Fellows, Predoctoral Fellows, Visiting Students, Yale Sociology Graduate Students, and Graduate Students from the State University of New York at Albany and City University of New York.

Link to CCS Spring Conference ~ 2025 ~ Culture Actually Program (PDF)

Generously Funded By: The Edward J. and Dorothy Clarke Kempf Memorial Fund & The Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at Yale  

This year’s conference is hosted by CCS Associate Director Yagmur Karakaya

Our keynote speaker is Jeffrey Guhin, University of California, Los Angeles.

We also welcome CCS Faculty Fellows Brad West,  Ron Jacobs and Eleanor Townsley. With presentations by CCS Visiting Fellows, Visiting Students, Postdoctoral Fellows, Junior Fellows, Yale Sociology Graduate Students, and Graduate Students from the State University of New York at Albany.

Link to CCS Spring Conference ~ 2024 ~ What We Mean By Meaning (PDF)

Generously Funded By: The Edward J. and Dorothy Clarke Kempf Memorial Fund & The Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at Yale  

Our keynote speaker is Faculty Fellow Fuyuki Kurasawa.

We are celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Center for Cultural Sociology at this year’s conference by having longtime CCS Fellows Ron Eyerman, Lyn Spillman, Ron Jacobs, Fuyuki Kurasawa, Tom DeGloma, Dick Houtman, Maria Luengo, Eric Malczewski, Lisa McCormick, Isaac Reed, and Shai Dromi reflect on CCS as an institution - a physical location, a network, a symbol and icon, a seat of routine activities, an intellectual orientation.

Link to CCS Spring Conference ~ 2023 ~ The CCS at 20: Empirical Explanation, Theoretical Innovation Program (PDF)

Generously Funded By: The Edward J. and Dorothy Clarke Kempf Memorial Fund & The Whitney and Betty MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at Yale  

This year’s CCS Spring Conference will be on Friday, April 29 and Saturday, April 30. We are excited to welcome plenary speaker CCS Faculty Fellow Bernadette Nadya Jaworsky. We will have one student session and one Visiting Fellows session.

On Saturday afternoon there will be a Symposium on Philip Smith’s recent book, Durkheim and After: The Durkheimian Tradition, 1893-2020. Speakers will be Marcel Fournier, Steven Lukes and Marcus Morgan with a response from Philip Smith.

Link to CCS Spring Conference ~ 2022 ~ Back off Screen, Back on Track: The Return of an Invented Tradition Program (PDF)

This year’s CCS Spring Conference will be on Friday, April 26 and Saturday, April 27. We are excited to welcome plenary speakers CCS Director Philip Smith and Faculty Fellow Isaac Reed. CCS Faculty Fellow Eric Malczewski, Visiting Fellow Mervyn Horgan, and Professor Saara Liinamaa are on the program, along with our own CCS Junior Fellows, students from The State University of New York at Albany, The University of Virginia and Guelph University, Canada, and visitors to the Department of Sociology.

Link to CCS Spring Conference ~ 2019 ~ Meaning and Performing: Expressive, Civil, and Material

This year’s CCS Spring Conference will be on Saturday, April 28th. We are excited to welcome keynote speaker Faculty Fellow Lisa McCormick and returning Faculty Fellow Dmitry Kurakin. The rest of the program is composed of our Junior Fellows and visiting graduate students. Looking forward to  another enlightening event!

Link to CCS Spring Conference ~ 2018 ~ Explaining Culture/Culture Explains

The 2017 CCS Spring Conference, Frontiers of Cultural Sociology, presents a group of papers that are broadly framed with reference to Strong Program theory. On the program are CCS Faculty Fellows, Junior Fellows, Visiting Fellows and Visiting Graduate Students.

We are particularly pleased to include on this year’s program many CCS fellows who are leading representatives of cultural sociology in their home countries and who represent the global community of  the CCS ~ Pavel Pospěch, Czech Republic ~ Anna Durnová, Austria ~ Dmitry Kurakin, Russia ~ Henrik Enroth, Sweden ~ Dominik Želinský, Slovakia ~ Lily Ivanova, Canada ~  Lars Johannessen, Norway

Link to CCS Spring Conference ~ 2017 ~ Frontiers of Cultural Sociology Program (PDF)

The 2016 CCS Spring Conference, Meaning in Place, includes a special panel discussion, “Vietnam: A War Not A Country,” with CCS Director Ron Eyerman, Faculty Fellow Magnus Ring and Junior Fellow Todd Madigan. Also on the program are CCS Faculty Fellows, Junior Fellows, Yale Graduate students and Visiting Graduate Students

Link to CCS Spring Conference ~ 2016 ~ Meaning in Place Program (PDF)

This year’s Plenary speakers are CCS Faculty Fellows Dmitry Kurakin and Gordon Lynch.

Junior Fellows and Visiting Fellows round out the program.

Link to CCS Spring Conference ~ 2015 ~ Cultural Sociology Writ Small: The Surprising Merits of Modest Case Study Research Program (PDF)

The 2013 CCS Spring Conference includes a Keynote address by Faculty Fellow Nina Eliasoph and a Plenary address by Faculty Fellow Bernhard Giesen. Rounding out the program are presentations by CCS Junior Fellows, Pre-doctoral Fellows from the State University of New York at Albany and CCS visiting Graduate students and Post-doctoral fellows.

Link to CCS Spring Conference ~ 2013 ~ Cultural Analysis of Complex Phenomona Poster (PDF)

This year’s Spring Conference features special sessions dedicated to the Centennial of Emile Durkheim’s The Elementary Forms of Religious Life, with presentations by CCS Fellows Philip Smith, Kenneth Thompson, Mats Trondman, Gordon Lynch and Elizabeth Breese. 

In regular sessions Faculty Fellows Anne Kane, Lyn Spillman, Anna Lund, Dmitry Kurakin will present their work. CCS Junior Fellows and Pre-doctoral Fellows from the State University of New York at Albany also present their work.

Link to CCS Spring Conference ~ 2012 ~ Possibility and Imagination: Journeys in Cultural Sociology Program (PDF)

This year’s keynote speaker is Faculty Fellow Alexander Riley. He is joined by distinguished guests Marcel Fournier and Julia Rozanova. 

Faculty Fellows Claudio Benzecry, Andreas Hess, Dmitry Kurakin, Gordon Lynch, and Radim Marada and Postdoctoral Fellow Andrea share their work.

Presentations are also made by our own Junior Fellows and student from the State University of New York at Albany, The Higher School of Economics, Moscow, Harvard University, Columbia University and the University of Michigan.

Link to CCS Spring Conference ~ 2011 ~ Communication & Culture: Transitive Explorations Program (PDF)

This year’s keynote speaker is Faculty Fellow Gordon Lynch. He is joined by Faculty Fellows Michele Lamont, Ron Jacobs, Radim Marada, Volker Heins, and Andrea Cossu. 

Presentations are also made by our own Junior Fellows and Graduate Students from Harvard University, State University of New York at Albany, and Fudan University.

Link to CCS Spring Conference ~ 2010 ~ Meaning and Social Process Program (PDF)

This year’s speakers are CCS Postdoctoral Fellow Jonathan Roberge. CCS Junior Fellows Sorcha Brophy-Warren, Carrie Gray, Jason Mast, Samuel Nelson, and Inge Schmidt also present their work.

Graduate students from the State University of New York at Albany Brian McKernan, Anne Lin, Nickie Michaud Wild, Matthias Ravers, Ian Sheinheit and Jingsi Wu presented their work alongside Julia Sonnevend from Columbia University, Lukas Fendel from Albert-Ludwigs-University, Freiburg, Germany, Tatiana Omeltchenko from the University of Virginia, and Francisco Raul Cornejo de Souza from the University of São Paulo

Link to CCS Spring Conference ~ 2009 ~ Cultural Sociology at the Crossroads Program (PDF)

This year’s plenary speaker is Faculty Fellow Steve Sherwood. CCS Junior and Visiting Fellows round out the program.

Link to CCS Spring Conference ~ 2008 ~ The Experience of Meaning Program (PDF)

Speakers this year are CCS Director Jeffrey Alexander, Faculty Fellows Mabel Berezin and Lynette Spillman and our own Junior Fellows and visiting graduate students.

Link to CCS Spring Conference ~ 2007 ~ Meaning, Identity, Interaction Program (PDF)

This year’s speakers are Jeff Alexander, Julia Adams, Orlando Lentini, Nadya Jaworsky, Phil Smith, Isaac Reed, Frederic Vandenberghe, Maria Rovisco, and JoAnn Brooks. 

Link to CCS Spring Conference ~ 2006 ~ Reality, Representation, Solidarity Program (PDF)