Kairotic meshwork – thesis-making enacted in the selvedge

When it comes to the fabrication of a thesis in the discipline of political science, particular ontological, epistemological and methodological orientations appear to hold hegemonic sway. What then is the experience of producing a thesis – otherwise, a work in and of the selvedge – made from 'dwelling [in] the borderlands' (de la Bellacasa 2016, p. 49)? In this chapter, I relay my efforts, as a menopausal, 'mature-age' practitioner, in thesis-making in the Department of Political Science at the University of Edinburgh. I offer impressionist tales of three kairotic moments; firstly, analytic conjuncture, secondly, empirical serendipity, and thirdly, embodied entanglements, to illuminate my methodological efforts in the manufacture of what manifest as my thesis. The use of kairos provides a point of departure to a temporal representation of the stages of transitioning from being an apprentice to a journeywoman scholar and performing 'doctorate-ness' in politics. Kairos is qualitative, it measures moments, not seconds (Honkanen 2007, p. 10).