ABSTRACT
Practice-based research involves an experiential component that is communicable to others; is precisely this communication of experiential content– the meaning of an experience, its significance, and how it might be related to a shared context. The development of any field of research or professional practice involves privileging particular cultural metaphors and analogies, references, and examples, and, in the process, cross-pollinating, hybridising existing assumptions and methodologies. The term 'open-textured concept' – originally coined by Friedrich Weisman in his 1945 article 'Verifiability' – is relevant for the discussion because one can never anticipate all the possible circumstances in which a concept such as doctorateness can be applied. Building support structures for doctoral students involves the strategic deployment of resources. The modern university has developed three core concepts in relation to its function: the concept of reason, culture, and the techno-bureaucratic pursuit of excellence. With increasing disciplinary specialisation come recurring warnings about the risks of channelling knowledge into separate silos.
