ABSTRACT
In Chapter 2 of this book Marilyn Strathern writes, ‘There is much to be gained from acknowledging uselessness – and today’ s world of kno wledge producers and knowledge managers might benef t from knowing why.’ She challenges the common-sense view of polic y-makers that research should generate kno wledge that is rele vant, and should be judged in terms of producti vity. Her k eynote lecture was delivered at a conference whose theme w as ‘The Social Practice of an Educational Research Community’ and she challenges us, too, as authors of this book and educational researchers, to look at our o wn assumptions about the relationship between research, knowledge generation and human action. What are the values and beliefs that drive our community’s practices? How do we position ourselves as researchers in a contemporary world which is ruthlessly challenging the traditional practices of social science researchers and uni versities? In terms of the book’s title, what is our research work for and how is it constructed by the interesting times in which we live?
