Emily Hofstetter

Associate Professor, Docent

I study everyday human interactions. In my research, I investigate the smallest details of interactions, particularly with recordings of sport and play.

Human interaction and holistic language

I research social interaction – the processes and rules that organize how we humans live in a social world. We usually take ordinary conversations for granted, because they are ubiquitous and permeate everything we do. However, human interaction is a rich and fascinating system, and we are only beginning to understand it.

I currently work on two main projects: one on how voice the body are used together in interaction, and the other on how 'megagames' can be used to enable discussion and pedagogy around climate change.

My previous work has examined several institutional settings, such as neonatal clinics, visiting a local politician, and helping colleagues work in safer environments. I have worked to apply this research in communication training, using the CARM methodology for presenting and discussing interactional research results.

I have made videos about my primary methodology, conversation analysis, and how it works on Youtube.

Further information and full publications and filmclips: emilyhofstetter.ca

Research project

Switching the Current

Through so-called Megagames, the project "Switching the current" aims to increase knowledge about how current design and transformation of the energy system affects the surrounding society, environment and climate.

Three Female Dancers Dancing. Photo: Pixabay.com

Non-lexical Vocalizations

This project studies vocal practices for achieving embodied coordination in real time, with a focus on non-lexical vocalizations, such as ugh, aargh.

Publications

2026

Hannah Pelikan, Airi Lampinen, Rachael Garrett, Emily Hofstetter, Amanda Hoskins, Hannah Kuehn, Iolanda Leite, Donald McMillan, Sergio Passero, Katie Winkle, Mathias Broth, Barry Brown, Kristina Höök (2026)

Making Sense of the Felt Experience of Controlling Autonomous Systems DIS '26: Proceedings of the 2026 Designing Interactive Systems Conference, p. 4085-4100 (Conference paper)

https://dx.doi.org/10.1145/3800645.3812868

2025

Emily Hofstetter, Melisa Stevanovic (2025)

Social relations Research handbook on social interaction, p. 195-211 (Chapter in book)

Leelo Keevallik, Emily Hofstetter, Jan Lindström (2025)

Linguistic and other vocal resources of instructing bodies Interactional Linguistics, Vol. 5, p. 1-21 (Article in journal)

https://dx.doi.org/10.1075/il.24020.kee

Leelo Keevallik, Emily Hofstetter, Jan Lindström (Editorship) (2025)

Instructing bodies (Collection (editor))

https://dx.doi.org/10.1075/il.5.1-2

Leelo Keevallik, Emily Hofstetter, Agnes Lofgren, Sally Wiggins Young (2025)

Response cries and syntax Journal of Pragmatics, Vol. 240, p. 91-108 (Article in journal)

https://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2025.02.012

Coworkers

Leelo Keevallik

Deputy Head of Department, Professor

Hannah Pelikan

Assistant Professor

Sally Wiggins Young

Professor

Organisation

Le mur des je t'aime. Place des Abbesses, Paris. By Britchi Mirela [CC BY-SA 3.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0)], from Wikimedia Commons.

The Research Environment Language and Culture

The Research Environment Language and Culture is a meeting place for linguistic and literary research in a cultural context.

Department of Culture and Society (IKOS)

At the Department of Culture and Society (IKOS), social sciences and the humanities gather in environments where research and education work together.