Research Handbook on Entrepreneurship as Practice (Edward Elgar Publishing)

Starts:  Aug 1, 2019 08:00 (ET)
Ends:  Aug 31, 2019 23:59 (ET)
Associated with  Entrepreneurship (ENT)
Call for Papers

Research Handbook on Entrepreneurship as Practice
Research Handbooks in Business and Management series, Edward Elgar Publishing

Editors
Neil Thompson, VU University Amsterdam
Orla Byrne, University College Dublin
Bruce Teague, Eastern Washington University
Anna Jenkins, University of Queensland

Call for Book Chapters
Entrepreneurship as practice (EaP) research has been gaining ground in entrepreneurship studies (www.entrepreneurshipaspractice.com) [1,2]. Practice theories provide a means to advance entrepreneurship research by moving away from a theoretical focus on ‘the’ individual entrepreneur towards the importance of joint activity, performance, and work of entrepreneurship[1]. Practice theory helps us understand that entrepreneurship is essentially composed of collaborative activities (practices) in which many practitioners, not just entrepreneurs, are involved [3]. In doing so, it also highlights the critical role of the body and material objects in the doings of entrepreneurship. Moreover, the practice perspective directs empirical attention towards better understanding the reproduction, transformation and consequences of practices and their associations across time, space, and individuals. Initiated by such calls as Steyaert [4] and Johannisson [5], the entrepreneurship-as-practice movement is now gaining traction, witnessed by such contributions as Teague et al. [6], De Clercq & Voronov [7], Tatli et al. [8], Goss et al. [9], Keating et al. [10], Chalmers and Shaw [3], Dimov [11] and Matthews et al. [12].

Entrepreneurship studies drawing on a practice lens share a number of common assumptions. First, instead of thoughts, judgements and ideas hidden inside individual entrepreneurial minds, the central focus of inquiry are the spontaneously expressed, living, responsive, relational practices occurring out in the world between us for all to see. Second, practices are seen as the relevant unit of analysis for the exploration of entrepreneurial phenomena [12]. Although there is no one definition of practice possible, they are fundamentally collaborative and relational activities, and not solely reducible to the agents who carry them out. As they are defined by Schatzki [13,14], practices are organized by the enactment of sequential bodily activities, mediated by ‘things’ and their use, and drawing upon practical knowledge. Practices bring together actors, activities and contexts, thus interrelating social structures and human agency [8,15,16]. Consequently, EaP research aims to observe, theorize and unfold the practices―as ways of doing and saying things―carried out by practitioners (not just ‘the’ entrepreneur).

The purpose of this Research Handbook therefore is to attract promising conceptual, methodological and empirical chapters that further integrate theories of practice into entrepreneurship studies. Specifically, we request conceptual chapters that link a theory
of practice to an entrepreneurial phenomena. Much of the conceptual clarification and communication about what practice theories consists of and implies for the study of entrepreneurship still lies ahead. This may also be to help us challenge and/or rethink existing entrepreneurship theory on topics, for example, such as bricolage, effectuation, sensemaking, emotions, embeddedness, context, opportunities, etc. It can also surface new theoretical tensions and issue brought about by the uncertainty intrinsic in much of entrepreneurial phenomena. Methodological oriented chapters as well are highly requested, as integrating theories of practice comes with it new opportunities and challenges. We are interested in experiences of researchers creatively using a wide variety methodologies to gain insight into practices and their significance. Finally, we request chapters that have empirically collected and analyzed data on one or more practices related to entrepreneurship. The unit of analysis of these chapters should begin with an observable practice, and deftly balance the relationships between situated action and the social structure [8,15].

Format
The book “Research Handbook on Entrepreneurship as Practice” will be published by Edward Elgar Publishing as part of Research Handbooks in Business and Management series in hardcover print format, and electronically as an ebook. A paperback edition of the book will be produced 12-18 months after the publication of the hardcover edition.

Audience
From PhD students to senior scholars to entrepreneurial practitioners and all who are
invested in the future of understanding entrepreneurial phenomena through the study of
practices.

Timeline
31 August 2019: Extended abstract submissions (see below for guidelines)
1 October 2019: Notification of first acceptance
1 March 2020: Complete chapter contributions (approx. 8,000 words)
31 August 2020: Revised chapters due
Late 2020/early 2021: Final editing
May 2021: Book submitted to Edward Elgar

Extended Abstract Submission Guidelines
Extended abstracts should be approx. ½-1 page, and include a description of the principal topic and expected contribution to entrepreneurship-as-practice establishing a new research  direction/avenue. In particular, we invite extended abstracts that focus on fieldwork that explores practices to answer research questions related to entrepreneurship. Papers should be clear on the methodological approaches used for studying practices and provide linkages between the practice ontologies and epistemologies grounding their theory with the methods used and evidence offered. After first acceptance, all full paper submissions are subject to the single blind review process. Manuscripts must be original, unpublished works not concurrently under review for publication at another outlet and are expected to follow the standard formatting guidelines (which will be communicated upon abstract submission acceptance). Extended abstract submission should be submitted to Neil Thompson (n.a.thompson@vu.nl).

References
1. Thompson, N.A.; Byrne, O. Advancing Entrepreneurship as Practice: Previous developments and future possibilities. In The Research Handbook on Entrepreneurial: Behavior, Practice, Process and Action; Gartner, W.B., Teague, B., Eds.; Edward Elgar Publishing (in press), 2019.
2. Thompson, N.A.; Verduyn, K.; Gartner, W.B. Entrepreneurship-as-Practice: Grounding contemporary theories of practice into entrepreneurship studies. Entrep. Reg. Dev. 2019.
3. Chalmers, D.M.; Shaw, E. The endogenous construction of entrepreneurial contexts: A practice-based perspective. Int. Small Bus. J. Res. Entrep. 2017, 35, 19–39.
4. Steyaert, C. ‘Entrepreneuring’ as a conceptual attractor? A review of process theories in 20 years of entrepreneurship studies. Entrep. Reg. Dev. 2007, 19, 453–477.
5. Johannisson, B. Towards a practice theory of entrepreneuring. Small Bus. Econ. 2011, 36, 135–150.
6. Teague, B.; Gorton, M.D.; Liu, Y. Different pitches for different stages of entrepreneurial development: The practice of pitching to business angels. Entrep. Reg. Dev.
7. de Clercq, D.; Voronov, M. Toward a Practice Perspective of Entrepreneurship: Entrepreneurial Legitimacy as Habitus. Int. Small Bus. J. 2009, 27, 395–419.
8. Tatli, A.; Vassilopoulou, J.; Özbilgin, M.; Forson, C.; Slutskaya, N. A Bourdieuan relational perspective for entrepreneurship research. J. Small Bus. Manag. 2014, 52, 615–632.
9. Goss, D.; Jones, R.; Latham, J.; Betta, M. Power as practice: A Micro-sociological Analysis of the Dynamics of Emancipatory Entrepreneurship. Organ. Stud. 2011, 32, 211–229.
10. Keating, A.; Geiger, S.; Mcloughlin, D. Riding the Practice Waves: Social Resourcing Practices During New Venture Development. Entrep. Theory Pract. 2013, 38, 1–29.
11. Dimov, D. Opportunities, language and time. Acad. Manag. Perspect. 2018, in press.
12. Matthews, R.S.; Chalmers, D.M.; Fraser, S.S. The intersection of entrepreneurship and selling: An interdisciplinary review, framework, and future research agenda. J. Bus. Ventur. 2018, In Press.
13. Schatzki, T.R. The Site of the Social: A Philosophical Account of the Constitution of Social Life and Change; Pennsylvania State University Press: University Park, 2002;
14. Schatzki, T.R. A Primer on Practices. Pract. Educ. Perspect. Strateg. 2012, 13–26.
15. Dodd, S.D.; Pret, T.; Shaw, E. Advancing understanding of entrepreneurial embeddedness : forms of capital , social contexts and time. In A research agenda for entrepreneurship and context; Welter, F., Gartner, W.B., Eds.; Edward Elgar Pub: Cheltenham, UK, 2016; pp. 120–133 ISBN 9781784716837.
16. Hill, I. How did you get up and running? Taking a Bourdieuan perspective towards a framework for negotiating strategic fit. Entrep. Reg. Dev. 2018, 1–35.