Bricolage, kairos and action nets.

Lambotte, François [UCL] Meunier, Dominique [Université de Montréal]

Complex and nonlinear dimensions of research’s practice seem difficult to describe beyond the steps outlined in various methodological manuals (i.e., Bonneville et al., 2007; Gauthier, 2003; Javeau, 1985). It is the vagueness of this “beyond” and this recognized difficulty that puzzled us and seemed particularly interesting to explore. How to account for the non-linearity and the contingency of the research process? How can we translate the dynamics of fieldwork in all its richness without ignoring the classical procedures that govern any rigorous scientific approach? In this article, our aim is to capture and to understand what make research practice complex and non-linear through researchers’ narratives. As Czarniawska for ‘organizations’ (2004b), we consider that what we usually name ‘research’ should not be seen only as resulting in a number of temporary reifications (like a published article, or a patent) but as continually being produced. In this view, we study ‘researching’ and not ‘research’.