ABSTRACT
I started this book by drawing attention to the fact that the nature of research is something people in academic environments tend to take for granted. Throughout the book I have drawn attention to some of the factors which drive what people do in the name of research, determine what aspects of research are valued and followed and dictate who the key researchers are. In talking about research as contested space I have exhibited some of the tensions which new researchers have to negotiate and drawn attention to some of the dilemmas which have to be faced. In exploring how research can help us to live in a confusing world characterized by uncertainty, I have suggested elements of a vision of where it needs to be heading.
