Talking 'in' and 'about' practice: An ethnographic practice-based study of job placement practitioners

This paper engages with the recent turn in the social sciences towards the study of practice. Many studies within the practice-based approach consider this term as unproblematic and static. On the other hand, there is a scarcity of empirical studies which embrace a holistic understanding of practice. This lack of empirical studies is especially evident in non technological contexts. This paper aims to inquiry about these issues through an ethnographic study of the job placement practice. It is an exploratory research which aims to shed light on the complexity of practice, the tensions between the "theoretical" and formalized practice and the "actual" practice. Results show evidence that practice is not so stable or static as it may seem. Different practitioners belonging to a same community of practice but with different levels of expertise may be, indeed, carrying out different practices though they apparently seem the same. Empirical findings lead us to state that practice evolves and this evolution may differ a lot from the common understanding of a professional practice which is mostly based on a superficial understanding of the actual practice. Finally, these results lead us to reflect about the mastery of practice and to consider the expert as a creative actor who reframes and transforms practice.