On Methods: “The Situation’s in Control”

Abstract

The situation is always, already in control. Drawing inspiration from jam bands and artists such as Bill Kreutzmann of the Grateful Dead, this article leverages “jamming” as a way to playfully and improvisationally engage leisure research. Further, we emphasize how improvizational practices can be both affirmative and generative, enhancing research aims. In the situational dynamics between researcher, participants, and phenomenon, we illustrate how the first author navigated the messiness of research. Ultimately, an invitation is issued to experiment, to tweak, and to prod our various research situations, in all their messiness, toward a productive jamming of leisure scholarship.

Keywords:

• Improvisation
• jam bands
• leisure
• phenomenology
• qualitative research