This book presents a vivid and close-up view of social science
researchers engaged in fieldwork, in discussions with colleagues, and in
writing. Adopting an ethnographic approach inspired by ethnomethodology
and conversation analysis, the author pursues a praxeological analysis
of social inquiry in situ. By conceiving of analytical practices such
as observation, shop talk, and conceptualization in experiential terms,
the seen but unnoticed structures of knowledge work are exposed and made
available for empirical analysis.
In a departure from ethnographic studies of research that focus on the
physical sciences, the author uses the example of sociological research
to shed new light on the role of self and mind for epistemic cultures,
on the elusive materiality of conceptual objects, and on researchers'
experiential ways of seizing, reviewing, and accrediting knowledge.
A rich and pervasive study of elementary sites in the research process,
The Body of Knowledge will appeal to scholars of sociology,
anthropology, and the humanities with interests in the epistemic
practice of their own discipline, as well as those working in fields
such as the social study of science, ethnomethodology and conversation
analysis, and the sociology of interaction.