News and Events

The workshop provided an opportunity to review the Linloss project’s progress to date, current research activities, and plans for Phase 2.  Prof. Tagliamonte presented her research on language change across the life course and person-centred language in ethnic groups in Ontario. Team members from Ireland and Poland shared their experiences and research ideas.

The engaging and insightful discussions during the workshop led to plans for collaboration combining sociology and linguistics.

This workshop was organised as part of the collaboration agreement under an implementing arrangement between the European Commission and the Canadian Tri-agency Institutional Programs Secretariat (TIPS) and was supported by European Research Council.

The LINLOSS team are pleased to welcome Annik Jullien as a summer intern on the project.  Annik is a Graduate student in Sociology at Sciences Po Paris School of Research. Coming from an Irish background, she is interested in gaining a better understanding of Irish sociology and the evolution of cultural and social practices in Ireland. She has also worked as a research assistant at Université Paris-Cité, assessing the academic work habits and needs of students on campus. Her master’s thesis combines the sociology of work and education by studying Parisian childcare workers in elementary schools through participant observation, interviews and secondary sources. Through her studies, she has also had the chance to study the work of architects in the Orsay and Orangerie Museums in Paris and that of disabled workers in ESATs (French Support and Work Assistance Establishments).

The Irish-Polish team reviewed Phase 1 of the project and discussed the progress made to date. This provided an opportunity to share experiences and insights from both study areas: Carrickmacross, Co. Monaghan, Ireland, and Suszec, Silesian Voivodeship, Poland.

The principal focus of the workshop was on data collection for the main phase of the project. This included training in developing and applying methods for conducting biographical and reflexive interviews, sessions on sampling and recruitment strategies, as well as ethical considerations for the next phase of research.

The team received training on interview techniques , on the structured data collection and related software for our study, and on data management. The team also discussed participatory mapping, which is one of the innovative mixed data collection methods to be used in the project.

The workshop included a field trip to Carrickmacross and a visit to the historic Workhouse, which helped the team gain a deeper understanding of the local history and community.

The workshop concluded with the establishment of next steps and the assignment of responsibilities to research team to move the project forward.

A special moment of the conference was Professor Jane Gray’s presentation on the LINLOSS project, titled Towards a Sociology of Loss: Disposals and Dead-ends in Lineages of Social Innovation and Change. Co-authored by Milena Komarova, Witold Mandrysz, and Maria P. Wacławik, this research was presented as part of the Innovative Practices and Case Studiessession on February 6. Dr. Witold Mandrysz and Dr. Maria Wacławik also presented their own research at the conference.

Beyond the presentations, our team actively engaged in networking sessions, exchanging ideas with researchers from around the world. We look forward to continuing these conversations.

The meeting sparked an exchange of creative ideas over coffee and sweets, further strengthening our collaborative bonds. We also took the opportunity to visit a fieldwork site in the Suszec Commune—an experience that enriched our perspectives and left a lasting impression on everyone.

The next day, we gathered at the Jagiellonian University Campus in Kraków for a methodology workshop. Focusing on biographical and reflexive interviews along with formal research instruments, the session was transformed into an engaging dialogue thanks to the presentations by Prof. Jane Gray and Dr. Siresa Berengueres.

This visit not only deepened our research connections but also paved the way for exploring even more innovative ideas together.