Languages of/for Description of/for Practice

Doherty, C. (2019) Languages of/for Description of/for Practice. BERA SIG Event: Hybridising Social Theory in Educational Research, Glasgow, UK, 09 Jul 2019. (Unpublished)

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Abstract

The field of education thrives on a spurious distinction between theory and practice, but typically pays little attention to how ‘practice’ might be conceptualised. In commonsense terms, ‘practice’ can ironically refer to both repetition to perfect (‘practice makes perfect’), or to the slippage between the prescribed and the enacted (‘in theory .. but in practice …’). In this presentation I explore how different theories of practice similarly orient us to different meanings, insights and lines of enquiry. To this end I explore the difference between Bourdieu’s (1990) idea of practice as temporal response generated by the subconscious work of habitus, and de Certeau’s (1984) idea of practice as generative, improvised and tactical. What might each of these theories offer the researcher? Could their combination offer a form of hybrid vigour? I am also interested in how we use theory to re-describe empirical observations or experiences in a way that allows us to equate seemingly disparate moments or phenomena. This effort demands attention to how we move between expressions of empirical data and expressions of theory in our enquiries. Bernstein offers the concept of ‘languages of description’ to distinguish between ‘the descriptions generated by a model’ and ‘the potential enactments of the described’ (Bernstein, 2000, p. 131). A process of translation allows the researcher to move between these languages and introduces a degree of freedom in the ‘discursive gap’ it creates. In this way, Bernstein was determined that the craft of researchers allowed the empirical world to disrupt and muddy the theoretical project. Could hybrid theory play in that discursive gap? Could hybridity help us account for what is gained and lost when one or other theory is applied? How might hybrid theory orient us to different elements at the empirical surface?

Item Type:Conference or Workshop Item
Keywords:Practice, Bourdieu, de Certeau, education.
Status:Unpublished
Refereed:No
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Doherty, Prof Catherine
Authors: Doherty, C.
Subjects:L Education > LB Theory and practice of education
College/School:College of Social Sciences > School of Education
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2019 The Author
Publisher Policy:Reproduced with the permission of the Author
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