Conferences and Events

A selected list of qualitative research conferences and events around the world.

• American Anthropological Association (AAA)

  Site: http://aaanet.org
  Meeting site: https://annualmeeting.americananthro.org/
  AAA provides the skills, knowledge, and guidance for anthropologists from all disciplines and backgrounds to thrive in academic and practicing spaces.

• Annual Ethnography in Research Education Forum, University of Pennsylvania

  www.gse.upenn.edu/cue/forum
  2025 conference: Narratives of Struggle and Hope: Ethnography, Education, and Democracy at a Crossroad

• Association for Qualitative Research (UK)

  Site: https://www.aqr.org.uk/
  Events calendar: https://www.aqr.org.uk/calendar/
  This association runs training courses and conferences in qualitative research.

• Center for Qualitative Psychology (Germany)

  https://www.qualitative-psychologie.de/
  The Center for Qualitative Psychology was founded in 1999 to further develop and enhance qualitative research methods in the psychological field. It is especially committed to supporting qualitative methods for socially committed research, built on the tradition of qualitative psychology starting since the 1950s, such as the use of observation, introspection, and interviews. Find past meetings’ proceedings for download on their site.

• Claremont Graduate University Stauffer Professional Development Workshop Series

  Symposia: https://research.cgu.edu/dbos-events-and-conferences/home/dbos-stauffer-colloquia-and-symposia
  Video library: https://research.cgu.edu/dbos-events-and-conferences/home/online-video-library
  Since 2002, the John Stauffer Charitable Trust has sponsored a series of informative talks on current research in applied psychology for DBOS students, faculty, and the general community. The Stauffer Colloquia and Symposia highlight important new developments on the leading edge of applied psychology.

• Ethnographic & Qualitative Research International Conference (EQRC)

  https://erq-conference.soc.unitn.it
  Accepts submissions on many topics as long as the research projects use traditional ethnographic and qualitative methods.

• European Family Therapy Association (EFTA) Qualitative Research on Mental Health Conference

  https://europeanfamilytherapy.eu/events/10th-qualitative-research-in-mental-health/
  The Qualitative Research on Mental Health conference has been established as an international transdisciplinary forum for dedicated qualitative research on a range of topics in the field of mental health, using a variety of methodologies and approaches.

• European Meeting of the Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction

  Site: https://www.symbolicinteraction.org/home
  Conferences: https://www.symbolicinteraction.org/conferences
  The Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction (SSSI) is an international professional organization of scholars interested in the study of a wide range of social issues with an emphasis on identity, everyday practice, and language.

• Grounded Theory Institute Seminars

  https://www.groundedtheory.com/
  Resources and seminars modeled on Dr. Barney Glaser’s work.

• International Congress for Qualitative Inquiry (ICQI), University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

  https://icqi.org/
  The ICQI deals with the various ways to use and conduct qualitative research and holds a virtual annual Congress.
  Past Congresses: https://icqi.org/previous-congresses/

• The Qualitatives

  https://www.qualitatives.ca/home
  An interdisciplinary qualitative research conference, drawing together scholars from sociology, music studies, health studies, education, folklore, and other disciplines, supported by the Society for the Study of Symbolic Interaction.

• Qualitative Report Annual Conference, Nova Southeastern University, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

  https://nsuworks.nova.edu/tqrc/
  Since 2010, qualitative research practitioners, faculty, and students from around the world attend the NSU campus in January for the conference with plenary addresses by internationally recognized qualitative research experts, peer-reviewed paper and panel presentations, and interactive workshops.

• Qualitative Research Consultants Association Annual Conference (QRCA)

  https://www.qrca.org/page/annual-conference
  QRCA is a global network of qualitative research professionals, including market research, UX, CX, sociologists, ethnographers, linguists, social media and other qualitative experts, and the resource for elevating qualitative research expertise at all levels, where members network and share best practices, trends and technology, and take advantage of unique educational content.

• Qualitative Research in Management and Organization Conference, University of New Mexico

  https://www.qrmconf.org/
  Run biannually since 2008, the QRM aims to celebrate the interdisciplinary and pluralistic nature of qualitative organizational research, as well as to support qualitative researchers at all stages of their career engage in imaginative, thought-provoking and reflexive work.

• Society for Research into Higher Education (SRHE) (UK)

  Higher Education Close Up (virtual network for in-depth research into higher education; last conference in 2022): https://srhe.ac.uk/networks/higher-education-close-up/
  SRHE Conference archive: https://srhe.ac.uk/conference-archive/

• The Ethnographic Praxis in Industry Conference (EPIC)

  Site: https://www.epicpeople.org/
  Conference: https://2025.epicpeople.org/
  EPIC was created as a place for industry-based ethnographic practitioners to come together and take part in a conversation, a global community of researchers, creators, and innovators doing ethnography for impact in business and organizations.

• The Society for Applied Anthropology Annual Meeting

  https://appliedanthro.org/annual-meeting/
  The SfAA Annual Meeting provides an invaluable opportunity for scholars, practicing social scientists, and students from a variety of disciplines and organizations to discuss their work and brainstorm for the future.

• World Conference in Qualitative Research (WCQR)

  https://wcqr.ludomedia.org/about/
  The World Conference on Qualitative Research (WCQR) is an annual event that brings together researchers, world-renowned authors, and research groups from 40+ countries, sharing their experiences with qualitative methods.

Special Interest Groups 

A non-comprehensive list of some special interest groups related to Qualitative Research.

• Accounting & Finance Associations of Australia and New Zealand Ltd (AFAANZ)
• QualRAN: Qualitative Research in Accounting Network: A Special Interest Group (SIG) of AFAANZ
• Action Research Special Interest Group of AERA
• Academic Pediatric Association Special Interest Group for Qualitative Research
• American Physical Therapy Association Special Interest Group for Qualitative Research
• Arts-Based Educational Research (ABER) Special Interest Group of the American Educational Research Association (AERA)
• The Gerontological Society of America’s Qualitative Research Interest Group
• Narrative Research Special Interest Group of AER
• The Qualitative Interest Group (QUIG) at the University of Georgia
• Qualitative Research Interest Group of AERA
• Qualitative Research in Geography Specialty Group of the Association of American Geographers
• The University of Maryland’s The Consortium on Race, Gender and Ethnicity Qualitative Research Interest Group
• The University of Portsmouth’s Qualitative Research Interest Group (QRIG)