Successful 'International Conference on Identity Research' at Tufts

The 2023 conference of the International Society for Research on Identity (ISRI) took place at Tufts University from June 7-9, 2023. Sara K. Johnson, an associate professor in the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study & Human Development and a longstanding ISRI member, led the local organizing committee. More than 80 attendees came not just from across the country, but from around the world.

Faculty from the Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study & Human Development and many Tufts students were among those who presented their work, featured on panels, led interactive sessions, and engaged in formal and informal discussions. Topics included cultural and ethnic identity, LGBTQ+ identities, parent/work identity, as well as the role of identity processes in life transitions, trauma and resilience, and well-being. A total of 31 papers and 22 posters were presented, along with an interactive session on identity measurement led by Eliot-Pearson faculty Sara K. Johnson and Theo A. Klimstra, three discussion sessions, and a keynote address by Jonathan Adler from Olin College.

Conference attendees enjoyed the wonderful conference rooms in the Joyce Cummings Center, the lively restaurants across the area, the inevitable Duck Boat tour, and a tasty dinner in Quincy Market. The Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Study & Human Development had recently established concentrations of undergraduate and master's study titled "Identity Development in Global Context". June's very successful conference further put our university on the map as a center of education and research on identity.