The Quali a i e Repo The Quali a i e Repo
Volume 29 Numbe 4 A icle 6
4-1-2024
Juggling Academic P ac ice and Ca e: Collabo a i e Juggling Academic P ac ice and Ca e: Collabo a i e
Au oe hnog aphy wi hin a Basque Uni e si y Resea ch G oup Au oe hnog aphy wi hin a Basque Uni e si y Resea ch G oup
Asunción Ma ínez-A belaiz
Uni e si y o he Basque Coun y UPV/EHU
, asuncion.ma [email p o ec ed]
Ainge u Gu ie ez-Cabello
Uni e si y o he Basque Coun y UPV/EHU
, [email p o ec ed]
Es ibaliz Abe as u i-Ap aiz
Uni e si y o he Basque Coun y UPV/EHU
, [email p o ec ed]
Jose M. Co ea-Go ospe
Uni e si y o he Basque Coun y UPV/EHU
, [email p o ec ed]
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Ma ínez-A belaiz, A., Gu ie ez-Cabello, A., Abe as u i-Ap aiz, E., & Co ea-Go ospe, J. (2024). Juggling
Academic P ac ice and Ca e: Collabo a i e Au oe hnog aphy wi hin a Basque Uni e si y Resea ch G oup.
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Juggling Academic P ac ice and Ca e: Collabo a i e Au oe hnog aphy wi hin a Juggling Academic P ac ice and Ca e: Collabo a i e Au oe hnog aphy wi hin a
Basque Uni e si y Resea ch G oup Basque Uni e si y Resea ch G oup
Abs ac Abs ac
Many uni e si y schola s, including he au ho s o his a icle, acknowledge ha hey eel like hey a e
iding an emo ional olle coas e wi h academic success, as well as many p ojec ailu es. Excep o ou
PhD hesis, many o us comple e ou esea ch asks in ela i ely es ablished esea ch g oups. Howe e ,
li le esea ch has examined he po en ial hese g oups migh ha e o mi iga e eelings o academic
isola ion. To ill in his gap, we designed wo me hodological s eps. Fi s , we adop ed he Wool ian
me apho o a oom o ou own, whe e we composed indi idual igne es ega ding ou eelings o
isola ion. We ead each o he 's ex s and hen, in a second s ep, mo ed o a “li ing oom” o nego ia e ou
eme ging ideas, echoing a Collabo a i e Au oe hnog aphy. Two ull p o esso s and wo ea ly-ca ee
esea che s e lec ed on and alked abou hei eelings o academic isola ion, om hei pe sonal and
p o essional s andpoin s. Despi e he di e ences in job s abili y, he ou pa icipan s acknowledged
ha ing el isola ed and abandoned. We a gue ha iewing esea ch g oups no as a communi y o
p ac ice, bu a communi y o ca e is a mo e humane and desi able amewo k o model uni e si y
esea ch g oups in hese cu en imes o exace ba ing neolibe alism.
Keywo ds Keywo ds
academic p ac ice, communi ies o p ac ice, collabo a i e au oe hnog aphy, e hics o ca e
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Acknowledgemen s Acknowledgemen s
We hank Wendy Baldwin o he edi ing help and pa icula ly o making su e ha he English ansla ion
kep he same egis e and one as he o iginal igne es.
This a icle is a ailable in The Quali a i e Repo : h ps://nsuwo ks.no a.edu/ q / ol29/iss4/6
The Quali a i e Repo 2024 Volume 29, Numbe 4, 968-985
h ps://doi.o g/10.46743/2160-3715/2024.6627
Juggling Academic P ac ice and Ca e: Collabo a i e
Au oe hnog aphy wi hin a Basque Uni e si y Resea ch G oup
Asunción Ma ínez-A belaiz, Ainge u Gu ié ez-Cabello Ba agán,
Es ibaliz Abe as u i-Ap aiz, and José Miguel Co ea Go ospe
Uni e si y o he Basque Coun y UPV/EHU
Many uni e si y schola s, including he au ho s o his a icle, acknowledge ha
hey eel like hey a e iding an emo ional olle coas e wi h academic success,
as well as many p ojec ailu es. Excep o ou PhD hesis, many o us comple e
ou esea ch asks in ela i ely es ablished esea ch g oups. Howe e , li le
esea ch has examined he po en ial hese g oups migh ha e o mi iga e eelings
o academic isola ion. To ill in his gap, we designed wo me hodological s eps.
Fi s , we adop ed he Wool ian me apho o a oom o ou own, whe e we
composed indi idual igne es ega ding ou eelings o isola ion. We ead each
o he 's ex s and hen, in a second s ep, mo ed o a “li ing oom” o nego ia e
ou eme ging ideas, echoing a Collabo a i e Au oe hnog aphy. Two ull
p o esso s and wo ea ly-ca ee esea che s e lec ed on and alked abou hei
eelings o academic isola ion, om hei pe sonal and p o essional s andpoin s.
Despi e he di e ences in job s abili y, he ou pa icipan s acknowledged
ha ing el isola ed and abandoned. We a gue ha iewing esea ch g oups no
as a communi y o p ac ice, bu a communi y o ca e is a mo e humane and
desi able amewo k o model uni e si y esea ch g oups in hese cu en imes
o exace ba ing neolibe alism.
Keywo ds: academic p ac ice, communi ies o p ac ice, collabo a i e
au oe hnog aphy, e hics o ca e
In oduc ion
Isola ion, loneliness, soli ude. Pop singe Rigobe a Bandini’s song, “In Spain we call
i Soledad,” eminds us ha his may be a uni e sal eeling wi h a local la o . To ou Spanish
ea , he noun soledad has a nega i e conno a ion. Fo an ou going and g ega ious socie y like
ou s, being alone is pe cei ed as a law mo e han as an ad an age. In English, howe e , he
h ee e ms ha e e y dis inc nuances. The li e a u e on educa ion and managemen uses he
e m isola ion, de ined as a s a e o eeling disconnec ed and apa om o he human beings
(Belkhi e al., 2019). We belie e he e is a ine line be ween a use ul, necessa y, and pleasan
eeling o being wi hou o he human beings o w i e, concen a e o jus ead and an
uncom o able and pa alyzing sense o being disconnec ed om he academic wo ld. The igh
balance be ween being a pa o a g oup and enjoying momen s o soli ude (bu no o soledad!)
is a e y pe sonal and p obably, a cul u ally media ed endea o .
In he p i acy o hei soli ude, uni e si y p o esso s hink, ini ia e p ojec s, compose
p elimina y d a s o hei e lec ions and de elop hem usually wi hou unwelcome
in e up ions (Jand ić, 2022). Ne e heless, acco ding o B aido i (2014, p. 177) “un enu ed,
pa - ime, sub-s anda d, unde paid wo k has become he no m in mos ad anced libe al
economies''. This means ha no e e yone enjoys he inancial and pe sonal condi ions o ha e
a p i a e esea ch space, wha e e physical o m his space may ake. Echoing ou p e ious
Asunción Ma ínez-A belaiz e al. 969
esea ch in oking Vi ginia Wool (Abe as u i-Ap aiz e al., 2020), we esea che s can p o i
om a oom o ou own. Howe e , e en hose o us p i ileged enough o go o a uni e si y
o ice e e y mo ning acknowledge he need o sha e he ideas ha ched in soli ude. I he silence
and peace o ou p i a e ooms a e a e ile g ound o ideas o eme ge, i is in sha ed mo ing
a enas whe e we can nego ia e ou p oposals. This ini ially concei ed indi idual knowledge
mus be discussed, modi ied, adap ed and e en ually adop ed by a gi en academic communi y.
Two yea s ago, du ing he pandemic, we published a pape whe e we un eiled he
di icul ies and eelings o ulne abili y ha we expe ienced as membe s o a esea ch g oup
when we s a ed o e ise and change ou me hodological choices (Abe as u i-Ap aiz e al.,
2020). A ha ime, we could no desc ibe ou esea ch me hodology in de ail because we could
no concep ualize i clea ly, i was wo k de ini ely in p og ess. Now, hanks o he passage o
ime and ou own discussions on me hodology, we can exp ess ou ideas ega ding ou esea ch
op ions in a mo e a icula e way. When e lec ing on wha i mean o us o change o a pos -
quali a i e app oach o esea ch (S . Pie e, 2021), we adop ed and de eloped he me apho o
ou p i a e oom. I is no he i s ime ha he Wool ian me apho is asc ibed new meanings
in quali a i e esea ch me hodology. Fo h ee Aus alian PhD s uden s and a p o esso , he
p oduc i e me apho o he oom is he a icula ing piece in a pe o ma i e a icle ha
add esses hei academic and pe sonal li es (Mackinlay e al., 2022). Taking he me apho a
s ep u he , hey w i e:
We ha e won ooms o ou own, a ained leade ship posi ions wi hin ou
p o essions. Bu his eedom is only a beginning— he ooms a e ou own,
bu hey a e s ill ba e. They ha e o be u nished; hey ha e o be deco a ed;
hey ha e o be sha ed. How a e you going o u nish you oom, how a e
you going o deco a e i ? Wi h whom a e you going o sha e i , and upon
wha e ms? These, I hink, a e ques ions o he u mos impo ance and
in e es . [emphasis in he o iginal] (Mackinlay e al., 2022, p. 340)
These ques ions added no only a challenge bu also an oppo uni y o e lec upon ou goals,
esea ch me hods, ajec o ies, impac and he u u e o ou esea ch g oup. Following
Mackinlay e al. (2022), we discussed how we may u nish and deco a e ou own p i a e ooms.
Howe e , he exe cise o deco a ing ou own ooms was no enough and i was when we le
he soli ude o ou ooms and mo ed o he li ing oom when ou collabo a ion lou ished. I
is in his me apho ical sha ed space whe e we could discuss ou pas , p esen and u u e as a
esea ch g oup. Au oe hnog aphy was ou ini ial me hodological choice, bu hen we added o
ou oolbox he c ucial and use ul me apho o he li ing oom, as a way o add ess he need
o dialogue and he nego ia ion o meaning. The pu pose o ou mee ings in he li ing oom
was o discuss ou indi idual ex s on academic isola ion and o e lec on he u u e choices
and de elopmen o ou esea ch g oup.
In sum, gi en ha he li e a u e so a has add essed he issue o soli ude om he poin
o iew o ea ly-ca ee esea che s o schola s exclusi ely, we belie e ha he e is a need o
see how bo h no ice and old- ime s in academia in e ac wi h each o he . Do bo h age-g oup
schola s eel isola ed? And i so, how do hey cope wi h he uneasiness o being aliena ed? In
o de o answe hese ques ions, we de eloped an inno a i e me hodology akin o
Collabo a i e Au oe hnog aphy ha sui ed he spi i o ou esea ch g oup and eme ged
o ganically om simple me apho s o ooms and li ing ooms.
This a icle is o ganized as ollows. Fi s , we e iew he ew a icles ha discuss
academic isola ion in he con ex o he g owing commodi ica ion o highe educa ion. Then
we desc ibe he con ex , he his o y, he people, and he main goals o ou esea ch g oup. Then,
we discuss he possibili y o unde s anding ou uni e si y-based esea ch g oup as a
970 The Quali a i e Repo 2024
Communi y o P ac ice (Wenge , 1998). Agains his heo e ical backd op, in sec ion 4 we
in oduce ou choice o me hodology, Collabo a i e Au oe hnog aphy. Fou membe s o he
g oup— wo ull- ime p o esso s and wo assis an p o esso s—engaged in au oe hnog aphic
wo k and w o e an indi idual igne e in he soli ude o hei p i a e ooms, as summa ized in
sec ion 5. Then, we all me in he li ing oom and enjoyed a couple o collabo a i e
au oe hnog aphic sessions o dis ill he main poin s ha came ou o conside ing no only he
o iginal p omp o academic isola ion bu he many ela ed opics ha eme ged ega ding ou
posi ioning in he esea ch g oup. Finally, in sec ion 6, we eimagine ou esea ch g oup as a
“Communi y o Ca e” by inco po a ing he ea u es and iews de eloped in ou li ing oom.
Res lessness and isola ion a neolibe al uni e si ies
The places whe e we concei e and pe o m esea ch a e no neu al and ha e
conside able impac on ou li es. No dbäck e al. (2022) adop ed collabo a i e
au oe hnog aphy o in es iga e he wo k and li e changes hey expe ienced when he Aal o
Uni e si y me ge ook place. This esea ch illumina es he challenges pushing con empo a y
academia owa d a mo e business-o ien ed uni e si y, ending up in he commodi ica ion
(Wilmo , 1995) o McDonaldiza ion o highe educa ion (Pa ke & Ja y, 1995). By
neolibe alism and i s di ec consequence, namely, commodi ica ion, we unde s and ha
academic knowledge is concei ed as a commodi y and he ield o highe educa ion as a ac o
o economic g ow h. In his sense, we echo he wa ning ha Chomsky (2017) issued abou he
assaul o neolibe alism on uni e si ies, modi ying he egula o y amewo ks and cul u e o
hei eaching s a , he p i a iza ion o public knowledge and he ad ance owa ds academic
capi alism. A business model whe e wha ma e s seems o become he baseline, whe e he ue
owne s a e he iducia ies who seek o keep cos s low and a pe manen ly e alua ed wo k o ce
edi ec ed owa ds he sea ch o p oduc i i y and which ends up becoming docile, obedien ,
and a omized, hanks in pa o ch onicling hei condi ion as wo ke s wi hou s abili y.
Gi en he me ge and campus eloca ion expe ienced by he h ee Finnish academics,
hey no e ha “[o]u iden i ies (including iden i ying wi h social g oups) a e ela ed o spaces
and places, as we wo k emo ely om home o commu e o he uni e si y, en e i s buildings,
wo k in a dedica ed (o no ) o ice space, each in lec u e halls, and encoun e people in open
spaces, ooms, and hallways” (No dbäck e al., p. 335). They con incingly show ha physical
places can enhance o hinde social in e ac ion, an obse a ion ha is di ec ly ela ed o he
ini ial opic o his a icle, namely, academic isola ion. Th ough collabo a i e au oe hnog aphy,
hey show how esea che s’ mu ual engagemen can help loca e and make sense o hei
es lessness amids he changes ha hei pa icula neolibe al uni e si y is expe iencing. The
Finnish uni e si y, like any o he uni e si y, has no been able o escape he e ec s o he
neolibe al logic and has expe ienced some building and loca ion me ging ha has changed he
li es o he h ee academics wi h campus eloca ion. No dbäck e al. (2022) ecommend ha
o he schola s y o engage in dialogue wi h each o he pa icula ly in sha ed spaces, such as
depa men s and uni e si ies, because “[i] has helped us o lea n abou ou sel es and o he s
and o suppo each o he in dealing wi h he a oci ies o neolibe alism” (pp. 345-346). In his
con ex o neo libe aliza ion, hese au ho s ecommend suppo ing each o he and engaging in
collabo a ion and dialogue o make uni e si ies meaning ul places a e di icul imes, such as
he ones desc ibed in Aal o Uni e si y.
Belkhi e al. (2019) also add ess he eeling o isola ion ha a ises among esea che s
in social sciences. By adop ing he same me hodology, namely, collabo a i e au oe hnog aphy
as hei me hodological s ance, hey ocus on how in e disciplina y esea ch eams can be he
app op ia e ame o helping ea ly-ca ee esea che s mi iga e eelings o isola ion as hey
a e se he pa h o becoming es ablished academics. Belkhi e al. (2019) de ine isola ion as

Asunción Ma ínez-A belaiz e al. 971
“an in olun a y pe cei ed sepa a ion om he academic ield o which one aspi es o belong,
associa ed wi h a pe cei ed lack o agency in e ms o one’s engagemen wi h he ield” (p.
263). They posi ha isola ion mani es s along ou dimensions—geog aphical, cul u al,
ela ional, and echnical—and conclude ha “isola ion is o inc easing impo ance as
con empo a y academic ca ee s ha e globalized” (p. 283). Pa adoxically, he mo e global ou
academic ac i i ies become in e ms o collabo a ions wi h colleagues all o e he wo ld, he
mo e isola ed hese academics eel. In addi ion, hey poin o h ee a eas ha can comba
isola ion: men o ing, ne wo king, and communi ies o p ac ice.
In Belkhi e al.’s (2019) a icle, howe e , we pe cei ed a lack o a en ion o
es ablished academics. By es ablished academics we mean enu ed p o esso s whose o ices
and wo kplaces c ucially will no change he nex u u e. In ac , Belkhi e al.’s 2019
publica ion is signed by ou assis an p o esso s, h ee lec u e s, a PhD candida e, a pos -
doc o al esea che and a single ecen ly enu ed p o esso , om en di e en Eu opean,
Aus alian, A ican and Ame ican uni e si ies. We unde s and ha ocusing on ea ly-ca ee
esea che s is p obably a na u al choice adop ed by many esea che s (Jand ić, 2022), bu i
lea es ou o sc u iny a la ge pa o academia. The o iginal cha ac e iza ion o a Communi y
o P ac ice in La e and Wenge (1991) and Wenge (1998) con ends ha he cons an
in e ac ion and engagemen among no ices and old- ime s is a necessa y ing edien o any
communi y o lou ish and hus, be sus ainable. In o he wo ds, he in e ac ion o indi iduals
om bo h si ua ions ( enu ed and s able and un enu ed and in hei ini ial s ages o hei ca ee s)
is equi ed o build a heal hy and endu ing communi y o p ac ice. Old- ime s, he es ablished,
seasoned uni e si y esea che s in ou case, can gene a e new knowledge, bu we also no e he
need o no ices o engage in ac i e nego ia ion wi h es ablished schola s. These in e ac ions,
bo h o mal and in o mal, gi e ise o new knowledge h ough mee ings, abs ac and esea ch
p ojec w i ing, pa icipa ion in con e ences and a icle and book chap e w i ing (Hyland,
2000). These ac i i ies may expand he sha ed epe oi e o he esea ch g oup and c ucially
can become cemen o i s membe s. Like Peele-Eady and Moje (2020), we a gue o “a iew
o a communi y ha cen e s di e se g oups o people wo king oge he o a common goal—
e en when pe cep ions o ha goal di e —and making he mos o di e ence in he p ocess”
(p. 230). In he nex sec ion we desc ibe he na u e o ou esea ch g oup agains he backd op
o he heo y o communi ies o p ac ice.
Wha is Elka ike uz? A esea ch g oup as a communi y o p ac ice?
We ha e gone om ques ioning disciplina y limi s and ou own p o essional
isola ion, p o esso s who wo k alone in uni e si ies wi hou any e e en ,
ho izon, o suppo , o o mally and in o mally ques ioning o he dimensions
ela ed o ace, language and gende , and ying o un eil many o he p ejudices
ha we e appa en ly e y dis an om wha happens in ou class ooms and
should be pa o ou cu iculum. (Co ea e al., 2010, p. 127; ansla ion by he
au ho s)
This quo e comes om an a icle we published mo e han en yea s ago, whe e we p o ided a
desc ip ion o he di e en phases he esea ch g oup wen h ough. In he conclusion o ou
a icle, we made i clea ha he eam was a mo o o mo ing o wa d and o e coming ou
own p o essional isola ion, as he abo e quo e illus a es. E en hough his a icle was w i en
in Spanish, i su passes he limi s o language and adop s a mul imodal pe spec i e by na a ing
he esea ch eam’s incep ion and his o y h ough a comic s ip. The ex unde lined he
esea ch g oup´s openness owa d new o ms o expe imen al and expe ien ial esea ch; ways
o wo king ha a e a he ma gins and limi s o knowledge legi imized by academia. Since i s
972 The Quali a i e Repo 2024
incep ion Elka ike uz has paid a en ion o ma ginal, mino i y, subal e n, non-no ma i e, and
decolonial issues, becoming a poli ical p ojec linked o c i ical, and dissiden pedagogies.
I is pe inen o cla i y ha ou esea ch g oup, Elka ike uz, based in he School o
Educa ion, Philosophy and An h opology a he Uni e si y o he Basque Coun y, UPV/EHU,
chose a name ha unde sco es he idea o “ oge he ness.” The name Elka ike uz comes om
he combina ion o he wo Basque wo ds, elka ekin “ oge he ” and ike uz “by doing
esea ch.” Despi e ou appa en g oup’s esemblance o a communi y, he e m Communi y o
P ac ice (Wenge , 1998) has no been p e iously applied o i . Analyzing he na u e o ou
g oup agains he backd op o he heo y o Communi ies o P ac ice can be a ui ul jou ney
o se ou esea ch goals and o ind he means o achie e hem. In his sense, we canno ap io i
p esuppose ha a g oup o p o esso s and g adua e s uden s ha sel -iden i y as esea che s
cons i u es a Communi y o P ac ice (CoP om now on). The e a e some undamen al ea u es
ha he li e a u e (Lea e & Wenge , 1991; Wenge , 1998) has iden i ied as conduci e o he
o ma ion o a CoP. As King (2014) con incingly a gues, “[o]ne canno sa ely p esume,
howe e , ha a andom g oup o people cons i u es a communi y o p ac ice (wi h i s own se
o highly localised p ac ices) me ely because hey a e pa icipa ing in an ac i i y oge he on a
egula basis o because hey sha e a social iden i y” (p. 62). In ou pa icula con ex , jus
because he membe s o ou esea ch g oup a end egula mee ings, p esen in p o essional
con e ences, au ho o co-au ho con e ence p esen a ions and publish pape s in collabo a ion,
we canno assume ha hese indi iduals cons i u e a CoP.
Wha a e, hus, he necessa y ing edien s o call an agg ega e o people a CoP?
Acco ding o Wenge (1998, p. 184), h ee main elemen s mus co-occu o a communi y o
eme ge. The i s is ha he e mus be mu ual engagemen , ha is, he membe s mus ge
oge he o engage in hei sha ed p ac ices. C ucially, his engagemen mus be ime and place
bound. Mu ual engagemen in ou case can ake he o m o a mee ing, which in u n can be
ha monious o con en ious. I can also be he w i ing o a g an p oposal o an abs ac o a
con e ence, he a ending and p esen a ion a a con e ence, o he w i ing o a icles and book
chap e s. The second ing edien o a CoP is he join ly nego ia ed en e p ise. Wha seems clea
is ha he en e p ise mus be nego ia ed wi h by he membe s. I is in e es ing o no e ha
Wenge lea es some oom o agency, since he join en e p ise belongs o he membe s despi e
all he aspec s ha may be beyond hei con ol. This is because i is a esponse ha he
membe s nego ia e oge he , and i is based on hei own unde s anding o hei si ua ion, e en
in cases whe e p ac ice is p o oundly shaped by ex e nal o ces. Finally, he mos angible
ing edien o he CoP heo y is he de elopmen o a sha ed epe oi e, de ined as “ ou ines,
wo ds, ools, ways o doing hings, s o ies, ges u es, symbols, gen es, ac ions o concep s ha
he communi y has p oduced o adop ed in he cou se o i s exis ence, and which ha e become
pa o i s p ac ice” (Wenge , 1998, p. 83). The ques ion is whe he ou uni e si y esea ch
g oup i s he de ini ion o a CoP. Does i exhibi hese h ee c ucial elemen s? Le us analyze
hem one by one.
Ou esea ch g oup and mu ual engagemen
Some o he de ining ea u es o a CoP ela e o sus ained mu ual ela ionships. I is
impo an o poin ou ha hese ela ions a e some imes ha monious bu also con lic ual. As
we men ioned abo e, his has been he case in ou own expe ience. Rela ions become mo e
con lic ual and s ess ul pa icula ly when adop ing new o ms o doing esea ch and
abandoning old and amilia ones. This was he case in ou ansi ion om doing na a i e
inqui y o doing pos -quali a i e inqui y du ing ou lea ning ajec o y as a communi y. Ou
ulne abili ies and in e nal di icul ies we e amply epo ed in Abe as u i-Ap aiz e al. (2020),
In his sense, Peely-Eady and Moje (2020) emind us ha “communi ies a e no always
Asunción Ma ínez-A belaiz e al. 973
ag eeable; hey can be (and should be) con en ious spaces” (p. 234). These g oup-in e nal
di e ences in ou unde s anding o esea ch me hodological choices and goals mani es
hemsel es du ing ou esea ch g oup mee ings. Ne e heless, whe he we we e engaged in
planning and p epa ing con e ence p esen a ions o collec i ely w i ing, minimal ag eemen is
equi ed and e en ually eached, o ou own su i al as a g oup. The g oup’s asks and goals
ha e o be accomplished despi e i s membe s’ di e ences and misalignmen s.
Since we a e mo e o less connec ed h ough social media whe e in o ma ion can low
apidly, in ou g oup mee ings he e a e usually e y ew p eambles, and we go di ec ly o he
main poin , wi h ew o mali ies, which acili a es he needed engagemen .
Ou esea ch g oup and join ly nego ia ed en e p ise
Ou websi e, designed by some o he membe s o he esea ch g oup, s a es ha he
goal o he esea ch g oup is he analysis o inno a ion and he imp o emen o educa ion
quali y and lea ning con ex s, p omp ed by he ans o ma ions in socie y. This is a e y b oad
goal, and we ag ee wi h Peele-Eady and Moje (2020) when hey p opose ha “communi ies
a e bo h eal and imagined” (p. 233). In ac , he ou membe s ha con ibu ed o his pape ,
and p obably he emaining se en een esea che s in he g oup, ha e e y di e en ideas o
wha cons i u es he imp o emen o educa ion quali y in ou communi y. These di e ences
may simply be due o he he e ogenei y o ou academic backg ounds and ela ed iden i ies:
some membe s come om he ine a s, o he s om educa ion o om linguis ics. In addi ion,
i is clea ha each membe o he g oup in e p e s he g oup i sel and i s in ended goals in his
o he way. Fa om being a p oblem, he di e si y wi hin ou esea ch g oup is an asse and
we all know each o he ’s a eas o expe ise. The indi idual and collec i e goal is he
ad ancemen o he p o essional ca ee o he g oup and he indi idual membe s. I one
membe ge s enu e, hen he whole g oup bene i s om ha pe son’s job s abili y.
Ou esea ch g oup and sha ed epe oi e
The membe s in ine a s de eloped a dis inc logo (see Figu e 1) o ou esea ch g oup.
This logo was a clea index o ou iden i y as membe s o he esea ch g oup and si s a he
cen e o ou websi e (see Figu e 2), whe e all membe s' pic u es and CVs can be ound.
Figu e 1
Resea ch G oup`s Logo
The websi e and he pic u es ha e a casual and dynamic s yle ha e lec s ou
pe spec i e on educa ion. Du ing ou g oup mee ings and du ing ou uno icial lunches, we
ha e coined and used ja gon. This ja gon is no unde s andable o anyone who has no been
pa o he esea ch g oup o a while, and i is usually embedded in inside jokes. Fo example,
only g oup membe s know wha we mean by he Ca alans, he pos , he cuali, e c. In line wi h
King (2014) ´s esea ch amed in linguis ic e hnog aphy, we ha e de eloped a sha ed
linguis ic epe oi e which mixes English, Spanish and Basque in seamless ways.
974 The Quali a i e Repo 2024
Figu e 2
Resea ch G oup Web sc eensho s
The websi e and he pic u es ha e a casual and dynamic s yle ha e lec s ou pe spec i e on
educa ion. Du ing ou g oup mee ings and du ing ou uno icial lunches, we ha e coined and
used ja gon. This ja gon is no unde s andable o anyone who has no been pa o he esea ch
g oup o a while, and i is usually embedded in inside jokes. Fo example, only g oup membe s
know wha we mean by he Ca alans, he pos , he cuali, e c. In line wi h King’s (2014)
esea ch amed in linguis ic e hnog aphy, we ha e de eloped a sha ed linguis ic epe oi e
which mixes English, Spanish and Basque in seamless ways.
In sum, by acing he h ee ea u es o a CoP, namely, mu ual engagemen , join ly
nego ia ed en e p ise and sha ed epe oi e, we ha e shown ha ou esea ch g oup can be
concei ed as a CoP. Ne e heless, his model does no lea e any oom o he po en ial ole
ha his communi y may ha e in mi iga ing eelings o isola ion. To del e in o his aspec o
he CoP, ou membe s o he esea ch g oup engaged in collabo a i e au oe hnog aphy o
u he in es iga e his issue. The la ge ques ion we wan o ackle in his a icle is he ex en
o which a esea ch eam such as ou s, concep ualized as a CoP, can p o ide suppo in
mi iga ing he eelings o academic isola ion o i s membe s, bo h no ices and old- ime s. To
answe his ques ion, we desc ibe ou me hodological s ance in he ollowing sec ion.
CAE as a esea ch me hod: On ooms and li ing ooms
We u ned o collabo a i e au oe hnog aphy (Chang e al., 2016; He nandez e al.,
2017; Lapada , 2017) o del e in o ou po en ial eelings o isola ion and o discuss ou
awa eness o he shape o ou esea ch eam in imes o neolibe alism. Collabo a i e
Au oe hnog aphy (hence o h CAE) is a pos mode n o m o esea ch (La he & S . Pie e,
2013) ha blu s he bounda ies be ween esea che s and subjec s. Lapada (2017, pp. 597-598)
de ined CAE as an “au obiog aphical, au oe hnog aphic, polyphonic app oach o w i ing,
elling, in e oga ing, analyzing, and collabo a i ely pe o ming and w i ing up esea ch on
pe sonal li e challenges and on nego ia ing pe sonal and p o essional iden i ies''. We chose
CAE as ou me hodological s ance o he ollowing easons. Fi s , i allows us he eedom o
desc ibe ou job and ela ed endea o s wi h anspa ency; CAE is in line wi h ou men ioned
and published commi men o he pos -quali a i e o ms o doing esea ch (Abe as u i-Ap aiz
Asunción Ma ínez-A belaiz e al. 981
(Young e al., 2022), we ex end ou p e ious concep ualiza ion o a CoP and add some
undamen al ing edien s, so ha he cons uc o a CoP can be concep ualized as a Communi y
o Ca e. The addi ional ea u es and ac ions ha a e equi ed a e de ailed in Table 2, o ex end
he ocus o ca e o ou ins i u ional con ex . The ac ual ac ions ha cons i u e he Communi y
o Ca e ha e been dis illed om he ex bolded in he ac ual igne es in sec ion 5. The ini ial
o he esea che ha has poin ed o his pa icula ac ion has been added nex o i .
Table 2
Main ea u es and ac ions de ining a Communi y o Ca e (CoC) and how hey ex end om he
ones o a CoP
Fea u es
Communi y o P ac ice
ac ions
Communi y o Ca e ac ions
Mu ual engagemen
● Holding mee ings
● W i ing abs ac s
● W i ing con e ence
p esen a ions,
a icles and book
chap e s
● Simila in ol emen in all he
asks (E)
● Equal sha ing o wo kload (E)
● Awa eness and espec o amily
ca e (JM)
● Sha ing pape s and ideas (As)
● Sha ing and discussing ele an
esea ch (As)
● Ga he ing socially (Ain/E)
● Encou aging leisu e ime (E)
Join ly nego ia ed
en e p ise
● Paying a en ion o
educa ion a all
le els
● De eloping a ca ee
in academia
● Paying a en ion o all membe s’
physical and men al wellbeing,
including p ojec leade s when
unde deadline (JM/E)
● W i ing collabo a i ely (As)
● A oiding compe i ion (E)
● Se ing easonable deadlines
(Ain)
Sha ed epe oi e
● G oup websi e
● Academic and in-
g oup ja gon
● Inside (in-g oup)
jokes
● C ea ing a common body o
knowledge (p oposals, heo ies,
me hodologies, da a, e e ences,
ele an eadings) (As)
● Using CAE as a esea ch me hod
(The ou o us)
In sum, he ini ial ques ion o whe he ou esea ch g oup can mi iga e eelings o
isola ion, which p omp ed ou e lec ions in he p i acy o ou indi idual ooms, has made us
mo e beyond an emphasis on human ela ionships and pay a en ion o highe educa ion
poli ics and mo e- han-human ela ionships wi h ime and spaces. In ou CAE jou ney, we ha e
ske ched an imagined communi y in he o m o a communi y o ca e ha sui s ou esea ch,
p o essional, and pe sonal goals, namely, a communi y ha nu u es each one o i s membe s
h ough hei academic li es. E en i we acknowledge ha an in i a ion by es ablished
academics o join a esea ch g oup can be a poisoned chalice ha is di icul o esis (see José

982 The Quali a i e Repo 2024
Miguel´s igne e), once newcome s join he esea ch g oup, hei aking pa in he ou ines
ou lined in Table 2 can unc ion as he cemen ha cohe es he g oup. Resea ch membe s
should be cognizan o he impo ance o building and nu u ing pe sonal ela ions in he
p ocess o comple ing esea ch p ojec s. Ca ing o hese ela ions should be no only a goal
bu a de ining ea u e o ou esea ch eam. Much has been w i en on he e hics o esea ch in
au oe hnog aphy, a imes ocusing on he con ex whe e esea ch is being p oduced (Dahal &
Lui el, 2022). De eloping ca ing ela ionships in he esea ch g oup also should be pa o his
e hical beha io . In Spanish, we call hese ela ionships “cuidado,” which is e ymologically
ela ed o La in “cogi a us” o “ hough ” and di ec ly links o ac ion. We belie e ha hinking
abou he o he membe s o he esea ch g oup and hei pe sonal and emo ional needs is he
i s mo emen owa d building an endu ing and heal hy and long-las ing communi y o ca e.
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Au ho No e
Asunción Ma ínez-A belaiz (ORCID ID: 0000-0002-3784-2266) is an assis an
p o esso a he Facul y o Educa ion Educa ion, Philosophy and An h opology o he
Uni e si y o he Basque Coun y UPV/EHU (Spain) and a membe o he Elka ike uz
esea ch g oup (IT1586-22). She has been he language coo dina o o Uni e si y S udies
Ab oad Conso ium and a Spanish language eache o mo e han wen y yea s. A e COVID-
19 she jobs and s a ed eaching a he Uni e si y o he Basque Coun y UPV/EHU ull ime.
He esea ch ocuses on language acquisi ion, pa icula ly in s udy ab oad con ex s, educa ional
echnology, li e acy, and language pedagogy in gene al. Please di ec co espondence o
asuncion.ma [email protected]
Ainge u Gu ié ez-Cabello Ba agán (ORCID ID: h ps://o cid.o g/0000-0001-6841-
1170) is an assis an p o esso a he Facul y o Educa ion, Philosophy and An h opology o
he Uni e si y o he Basque Coun y UPV/EHU (Spain) and a membe o he Elka ike uz
esea ch g oup (IT1586-22). His esea ch ac i i y ocuses on you h lea ning, a s-based
esea ch and new ma e ialisms. He has pa icipa ed in p ojec s ela ed o he cons uc ion o
he iden i y o Ea ly Childhood Educa ion eache s du ing ini ial aining and he i s yea s o
wo k (Minis y o Economy and Compe i i eness, EDU2010-20852-C02-02), as well as he
lea ning o p e-school and p ima y school eache s (Minis y o Economy, En e p ise and
Compe i i eness, EDU2015-70912-C2-2-R). His la es p ojec ocuses on he lea ning
ajec o ies o young uni e si y s uden s (TRAY-AP, PID2019-108696RB-I00). Please di ec
co espondence o ainge u.gu ie [email p o ec ed]
Es ibaliz Abe as u i-Ap aiz (ORCID ID: 0000-0001-7827-0850) has a BA in Fine A s
and a PhD in Educa ional Sciences. She is a ull p o esso and esea che a he Facul y o
Educa ion, Philosophy and An h opology o San Sebas ian, Uni e si y o he Basque Coun y
UPV/EHU (Spain). The esea ch and eaching ca ee is mainly associa ed wi h eache
educa ion, pedagogical inno a ion and esea ch and lea ning o he isual a s in educa ional
con ex s. She is he p incipal Resea che a Elka ike uz (IT1586-22), he consolida ed
esea ch g oup in he Basque uni e si y sys em esea ched in he p esen a icle. Please di ec
co espondence o [email p o ec ed]
Jose Miguel Co ea Go ospe (ORCID ID: 0000-0002-6570-9905) is ull p o esso a
he Facul y o Educa ion, Philosophy and An h opology o he Uni e si y o he Basque
Coun y (UPV/EHU) and one o he unding membe s o he Elka ike uz esea ch g oup
(IT1586-22). His eaching and esea ch ac i i y ocuses on ini ial and ongoing eache
Asunción Ma ínez-A belaiz e al. 985
educa ion, inclusi i y, and digi aliza ion om a pos human and new ma e ialis pe spec i e.
Like Ainge u and Es i xu, he has been pa o he p ojec TRAY-AP, PID2019-108696RB-I00,
ocusing on he lea ning ajec o ies o young uni e si y lea ne s. He belongs o he REUNID
ne wo k o educa ional inno a ion and esea ch. Please di ec co espondence o
jm.co eago [email protected]
Acknowledgemen : We hank Wendy Baldwin o he edi ing help and pa icula ly o
making su e ha he English ansla ion kep he same egis e and one as he o iginal
igne es.
Copy igh 2024: Asunción Ma ínez-A belaiz, Ainge u Gu ié ez-Cabello Ba agán,
Es ibaliz Abe as u i-Ap aiz, José Miguel Co ea Go ospe, and No a Sou heas e n Uni e si y.
A icle Ci a ion
Ma ínez-A belaiz, A., Gu ié ez-Cabello Ba agán, A., Abe as u i-Ap aiz, E., & Co ea
Go ospe, J. M. (2024). Juggling academic p ac ice and ca e: Collabo a i e
au oe hnog aphy wi hin a Basque uni e si y esea ch g oup. The Quali a i e Repo ,
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