Rob Smith @robinjsmith.bsky.social · 26/08/2026If you are working on practice and perception in high-stakes environments - where timely noticings (or, indeed, “missings”) of interactional and environmental significances are highly consequential - do consider submitting a paper to our panel! www.iiemca27.org/calls #iiemca27 #emca 0114
Rob Smith @robinjsmith.bsky.social · 23/05/2026Easily the most intense rescue I’ve been involved in… Called to a Casualty hanging inverted from top of cliff after falling and left leg catching a tree root. Amazing teamwork from all Central Brecon MRT colleagues to secure, lower, treat, and evacuate. #EMCA #Fieldwork #MountainRescue 191
Rob Smith @robinjsmith.bsky.social · 09/04/2026First time back at the BSA conference in a long while to speak on a panel launching this lovely collection of walking essays. I’ll be speaking briefly on walking as organised practice of care in the search for missing persons. 1600 in room 4.206. @britsoci.bsky.social #sociology #britsoc26 0120
Rob Smith @robinjsmith.bsky.social · 29/03/2026Such a good couple of days of talking through different approaches to language and interaction in Macau. Highlights were learning about developments in Chinese social and digital media, and drawing from an abundance of positive energy from a special bunch of local and Hong Kong PhDs. #EMCA 0161
Rob Smith @robinjsmith.bsky.social · 24/03/2026And on to Macau for a workshop on EM/CA, discourse, and ethnography. #EMCA 1110
Rob Smith @robinjsmith.bsky.social · 24/03/2026Two days of data sessions and dim sum in Hong Kong. 050
Rob Smith @robinjsmith.bsky.social · 17/02/2026The cracks are where the light gets in, and shines out. 020
Rob Smith @robinjsmith.bsky.social · 11/12/2025“Every single moment is implicated in all of time” A real treat, as usual, to welcome Barbara Adam back to Cardiff. Essential ideas for thinking open futures. 110
Rob Smith @robinjsmith.bsky.social · 04/12/2025Dr Patricia Jimenez presenting on the uses and troubles with MCA across her projects on members’ sense-making practices. Questions of producing adequate descriptions of occasioned patternings of categorial orders. #EMCA #MCA 0142
Rob Smith @robinjsmith.bsky.social · 02/12/2025All set for three days of Intro to MCA (sponsored by the WGSSS) and a meeting of the EMCA Doctoral Network. Huge thanks to Patrik Dahl for his organisational prowess. Schedule includes bonus pun for the MCA heads. #EMCA #MCA 2161
Rob Smith @robinjsmith.bsky.social · 06/06/2025Just spent a while looking for a photo from a missing person search for a talk I’m giving next week. This. This was the photo… Fortunately, there’s more in the detail* of the account that goes with it! #ethnography #fieldwork 130
Rob Smith @robinjsmith.bsky.social · 30/05/2025Definitely struggling with the cold winter here. Bring a coat! #IIEMCA27 060
Rob Smith @robinjsmith.bsky.social · 26/05/2025First visit to the Wits campus. A real honour to be Visiting Professor in the School of Human and Community Development until 2028. 050
Rob Smith @robinjsmith.bsky.social · 24/05/2025What a great first day in Johannesburg! Already looking forward to #IIEMCA27 @iiemca27.bsky.social 071
Rob Smith @robinjsmith.bsky.social · 16/05/2025Holding the actual thing felt a bit special. There’s just so much care gone in to this and it shows in the introductory chapters. #emca 1180
Rob Smith @robinjsmith.bsky.social · 07/04/2025When you submit your carefully formatted ms to the publisher Vs When the proofs come back 060
Rob Smith @robinjsmith.bsky.social · 21/03/2025Sewing some EM seeds at Paderborn University and the centre for Constructing Explainability #EMCA 0110
Rob Smith @robinjsmith.bsky.social · 21/03/2025Congratulations to my dear Finnish colleagues for living in the happiest country in the world, again! 🇫🇮 030
Rob Smith @robinjsmith.bsky.social · 17/03/2025Strong “spend the cash before April” vibes in the civic centre… 010
Rob Smith @robinjsmith.bsky.social · 11/03/2025The “Cities and Mobilities” students engaged in the work of producing place and animating the map by following a tourist trail around Cardiff. It threw up some really nice practices of coordination, orientation, and discovery. #MScSociology 080
Rob Smith @robinjsmith.bsky.social · 06/03/2025The sketch maps tutorial is always a favourite session of mine. Chiasmatic reflexivity in action. I also think we had a first today…One group managed to very successfully and accurately follow a map to a completely wrong destination. #EMCA 050
Rob Smith @robinjsmith.bsky.social · 02/03/2025I’ve started running again after a way too long lay off (for various reasons). It’s so good to be back and feels like rediscovering a part of myself. I could barely run at all at the start of year, and it’s amazing seeing how the body adapts. The world always seems a little better from up high… 1201
Rob Smith @robinjsmith.bsky.social · 10/02/2025Doing tutorial exercises on instructed action with 250+ students is a bit of a challenge, but I think we got there… #emca 0161
Rob Smith @robinjsmith.bsky.social · 03/12/2024Couldn’t resist joining in with the book shelf snaps. Mundane Reason hasn’t been mentioned yet. Absolute classic, but hard to find. (And, yes, I need to tidy up… but this is a working collection!) 160
Rob Smith @robinjsmith.bsky.social · 27/11/2024We don’t do inaugural lectures at Cardiff but it was really nice to be able to talk with colleagues today about categorisation practices, gestalt contexture, and analysing possible descriptions. #EMCA 2260
Rob Smith @robinjsmith.bsky.social · 26/11/2024Thought I’d give the baby and mommy a rest when introducing MCA tomorrow… #EMCA 1141
Rob Smith @robinjsmith.bsky.social · 22/11/2024If we’re at the sharing cat pictures stage of the culture, here’s ours… 🤦♂️ 2121
Rob Smith @robinjsmith.bsky.social · 17/11/2024Yesterday was a long day of assessing trainees navigation skills in the morning, followed by a call-out in the evening. One day, I’ll be writing a book about this… #mountainrescue #fieldwork 1120