Identity Theory Conference 2025

Logistics

Trent Mize and Robin Stryker invite you to the 2025 Identity Theory conference. The conference will take place on Oct 10th and Oct 11th, 2025 at Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN. We expect most attendees will arrive Oct 9th and leave on the 12th or late on the 11th.

There are no conference fees and we will provide breakfast and lunch on conference days.

Call for Submissions

The call for submissions is now closed, but we will consider late submissions in some cases. If this applies to you, please reach out to tmize@purdue.edu.

Timeline for Presenters

Full paper presentations

• May 31: Initial draft due to tmize@purdue.edu. Please include a standard abstract of ~200 words (such as one for ASR or SPQ)

• Summer 2025: Written feedback from conference organizers (Robin & Trent)

• October 10-11: Full 15 minute presentation at conference

• (If interested in edited volume) January 2026: Revised drafts due based on organizer and conference feedback, which will then be peer reviewed

Flash presentations

• July 15: Revised abstract due to tmize@purdue.edu. Please format this as a standard abstract of ~200 words (such as one for ASR or SPQ)

• October 10-11: 8 minute flash presentation at conference

• (If interested in edited volume) January 2026: Full draft of article due, which will then be peer reviewed

Edited Volume

We plan to publish an edited volume of papers presented at the conference. As in past years, we intend to publish the volume with Springer (see the 2023 volume). Full, polished drafts will be due in January 2026 and submitted papers will be peer reviewed.

Conference Schedule (tentative)

• Oct 9

  • Attendees arrive in West Lafayette

  • 5 - 7pm: Opening reception/happy hour with conference attendees

• Oct 10

  • 9am: Breakfast and coffee

  • 9:30 - 9:45am: Welcome and opening remarks

  • 9:45 - 11:15am: Session on Methodology

  • 11:15 - 11:30am: Coffee break

  • 11:30 - 12:15pm: Flash session

  • 12:15 - 1:15pm: Catered lunch

  • 1:15 - 2:45pm: Session on Race-Ethnicity & Immigration

  • 2:45 - 3:00pm: Coffee break

  • 3:00 - 4:15pm: Session on Law, Science, & Society

  • 6:00 - 7:30pm: Dinner with conference attendees at a restaurant

• Oct 11 

  • 9:30 - 10:00am: Breakfast and coffee

  • 10:00 - 11:30am: Session on Mental Health

  • 11:30 - 11:45am: Coffee break

  • 11:45am - 12:30pm: Flash session

  • 12:30pm: Boxed lunches

• Oct 11 night and Oct 12

  • Attendees depart

Travelling to Purdue

Lodging

The conference will take place on Purdue's campus in West Lafayette, IN. Purdue Union's hotel is both the nicest hotel in the area and also in the building next to the conference. The hotel also includes a nice restaurant, bar, and coffee shop. We have secured a conference rate of $269 / night which is ~$100 below the normal rate. Book with the conference rate using this link.

Less expensive lodging options are available in West Lafayette and Lafayette via other hotels or AirBnBs but will require you to commute to campus for the conference and pay for parking.

Airfare

There are three options for flying to West Lafayette, IN – all with pros and cons:

• Purdue's on campus airport (LAF): Book with American Airlines or United and fly directly to campus! Note all flights into LAF connect through Chicago O'Hare and involve a very small plane for the short flight from O'Hare to West Lafayette. Pro: Fly directly into Purdue. No need to rent a car (take a Lyft or Uber for 2 mile ride to campus). Con: Have to connect through O'Hare. 10-seater plane to LAF. 

• Indianapolis airport (IND): It is a 1 hr 15 min drive from IND to Purdue's campus. Renting a car at the IND airport is very easy, or you can take a shuttle. Pro: IND is an excellent and easy airport. Con: Have to rent a car or take shuttle. Can't always get a direct flight to IND.

• Chicago O'Hare airport (ORD): It is a 2 hr 15 min drive from ORD to Purdue's campus. Rent a car or take a shuttle. Pro: Easy to get a direct flight to ORD. Con: A far ride to Purdue and ORD is a pain.

Purdue maintains a list of recommended shuttle services and other tips for getting to Purdue.

Funds for Travel

We have some funds available for presenting authors who could not otherwise attend the conference without travel assistance. We will make decisions about travel funds after abstracts have been accepted. Our tentative plan is to cover the hotel costs in the Purdue Union hotel for those awarded travel funds.

Suggested Readings

Identity theory has a long history and continues to expand in exciting directions. For anyone who would like to learn more about the development of identity theory and recent advancements, we recommend the following as starting places. If you don't have access, feel free to email tmize@purdue.edu for a PDF copy.

• Stryker, S. (2008). From Mead to a structural symbolic interactionism and beyond. Annu. Rev. Sociol, 34(1), 15-31.

• Serpe, R. T., Stryker, R., & Powell, B. (2020). Structural symbolic interaction and identity theory: The Indiana school and beyond (pp. 1-33). Springer International Publishing.

• Stets, J.E., & Burke, P.J. (2025). An overview of identity theory. In Handbook of Social Psychology. Edward Elgar Publishing.

• Stets, J. E., & Burke, P. J. (2024). Advances in identity theory. In Advances In Group Processes, Volume 41 (pp. 1-27). Emerald Publishing Limited.

For a book option with a comprehensive overview, we highly recommend:

• Burke, P. J., & Stets, J. E. (2023). Identity theory: Revised and expanded. Oxford University Press.