Fieldwork and Writing
PHD Workshop

© Oriane Sébillotte

Once a month, the Fieldwork and Writing Workshop offers PhD students help in implementing and analyzing survey work as well as writing different types of texts (articles, thesis outline, thesis introduction, responses to calls for papers, etc.).

Conceived as a time for doctoral students to get together under the supervision of laboratory researchers, this workshop aims to break the isolation inherent in thesis work, an isolation which often hinders the smooth progress of research. It also aims to broaden the scope of interaction with researchers beyond that which a thesis supervisor can offer, giving participants the opportunity to discuss their difficulties and benefit from the support of the collective formed by the workshop members. The workshop operates along two main axes.

1. Writing Guidance

Through monthly sessions, guidance is offered in the production of a variety of texts (articles, thesis outline, thesis introduction, responses to calls for papers, etc.). The aim of these sessions is to encourage the use of the written word as a platform where thought can be developed and where issues relating to the field, sources, interviewees, data, problematization, and so on can be discussed…all crucial elements in striking the right balance between form and substance, style and content.

2. Preparation and Return from the Field

As part of a reflective approach, the aim of these sessions is to examine the strategies employed during fieldwork, and to report on any difficulties encountered. More concretely, sessions promote a collective reflection on how to initiate and conduct a qualitative survey. The aim is to enable doctoral students to objectify blocking situations in the field, and to build awareness of the shared nature of their difficulties. In addition, some sessions are devoted to post-fieldwork debriefing, offering an invaluable opportunity to share the enthusiasm of research and learn from the experience of others.