Mangling the process: A meta-theoretical account of process theorizing

Process approaches are increasingly applied in qualitative studies in many fields within social sciences. Yet, few studies have seriously elaborated on the ontological premises of process theorizing. This study addresses this void by suggesting a process philosophical framework. The framework is ontologically grounded with the concepts of causality, spatiality, and temporality in process theorizing. We use these tenets for developing three process theorizing techniques – articulating, relating, and conjugating. Articulating denotes to effectively expressing the potential identifying and generative properties of the process. Relating is the technique by which one maintains continuous connections within and between reified properties of a process. Conjugating is the technique by which a process’ identifying and generative properties are pulled together from various temporal and spatial sites in order to form a novel nexus. Each of these techniques builds on process philosophy and process theory and is illustrated through examples from prior process studies.

Demir, R. & Lychnell, L-O. (2015). Mangling the process: A meta-theoretical account of process theorizing. Qualitative Research, 15(1), 85-104. DOI: 10.1177/1468794113517390