1: Beyond Solitude: Crafting Identity Through Collaborative Side-projects in Kairotic Spaces

The etymological roots of ‘to research’ are ‘in the Middle French recercher (meaning “to seek out, or to search closely”) which goes back to the Latin circare (meaning “go about, wander, traverse”)’ . This chapter discusses how the need to ‘wander and wonder’ with others was an integral part of the author’s doctoral research inquiry. This approach stands in contrast with traditional conceptions of PhD research as a solo endeavour to achieve an individual qualification. Numerous texts exist to support researchers to navigate supervisory relationships or engagement with research participants, whereas far fewer discuss the importance of other relationships and engagements that can shape what it means to become a researcher.

This chapter reflects on the generative nature of friendships emerging with doctoral inquiry, as well as the opportunities and challenges from taking part in various collaborative activities with fellow doctoral researchers/early career researchers, as well as more established academics. These side-projects to the main research project provided time and space to read and discuss texts that were not obviously connected, to write and craft together, to find glimmers of meaning that could forward our own individual projects.

The author will draw attention to the importance of dwelling and meandering with others outside or on the edges of the confines of specific research projects, within side projects that can be recognised as ‘kairotic spaces’. It is in these kairotic spaces that power relations can be disrupted, academic identities formed and re-formed and re-searching can occur.