Routine replication and embodying process: an ethnographic study on the impact of the body in routine replication in the Royal Air Force

Abstract

We examine the relationship between routine replication and embodiment by studying how the Royal Air Force replicated an arduous loaded march in its Initial Officer Training programme from its Ground Combat Training programme. The routine (also called ‘tabbing’) was adapted to fit its new context, as the replication was affected by the differences in the trainees’ bodies, but it was kept recognisable as the same routine in both settings. Using qualitative methods and 30 months of data collection, this ethnographic case study involves a novel methodology in which we collected data through an enactive ethnography. Our research advances the study of Routine Dynamics, more specifically routine replication and embodiment, in two ways. First, we show how routine participants’ bodies play an important role within routine replication process and how they impact its dynamics. To deal with the ‘replication dilemma’, a constant interplay between flexibility and recognisability occurs through three overarching bodily mechanisms, namely, ‘playing with rhythm’, ‘coping with injuries’, and ‘dealing with emotions’. Our research adds to the scarce body of research on the role of embodiment in routine replication. Second, we contribute by introducing a novel way of conducting an ethnography. The first author not only observed the phenomena but also participated in the loaded marches together with the other officer cadets physically experiencing the routine performing and patterning. This study hence responds to recent calls to explore novel, seldom-used methodologies and uses enactive ethnography to study embodiment in practice.