Castle under siege

Research as a journey often feels like a trek up a hill in chilly and snowy weather. Every once in a while, you slide back down the hill, and you could have sworn that some hidden figures were launching snowballs in your direction. It will be a while until you reach a sunny patch with little incline.

Consequently, when you begin with your project, do not feel disheartened if the going gets tough and every possible way of progress appears to be up a snowy hill. But it’s not only that progress is difficult: there will be plenty of instances when other excursionists will challenge the sense, mode, or intention of your exploration. What seems like bad manners will more likely be another instance of critical appraisal faced by your project. This critical distance will likely remain around you for as long as you work on your project—a critical way of testing and probing ideas is key in academia. Be prepared to calmly, courteously, and comprehensively answer questions as part of your progression. Being challenged—not only by the subject, but also by your social context—is part of the experience.

Research means opening yourself up to being challenged not only by goals you set yourself, but even more so by others’ critical views. Once this is understood, it is easier to provision motivation and energy in the face of the inevitable challenges by many people—even by those who have much less insight into your topic than you do.

(This is a preview section. The full chapter on this topic continues with the sections “Rough coordinates”, “Train of thought”, “In essence”, “To reflect”, “Two travellers’ tales”, “Devil’s advocate”, and “How to tackle”.)