Writing as social practice: from researchers’ to readers’ reflexivity

A stimulating body of literature has developed methodological tools for reflexivity in practice. However, it focuses on the reflexivity of the researchers, leaving the conditions in which researchers can help readers become reflexive unaddressed. This article addresses this gap by taking decentring as a starting point. It approaches writing as a practice to foster readers’ reflexivity and introduces “writing for reflexivity” as a way for the social sciences to achieve their full potential. More specifically, it provides the conceptual foundations to tackle this problem, positions the initiatives of the authors of the running theme “Decentring Agency in World Politics: Writing for Reflexivity as a Collective Experiment” into existing literature, and offers practical guidance for researchers and teachers interested in writing for reflexivity. In all, the article builds a bridge between the methodology of writing and the methodology of reflexivity through the issues of Eurocentrism and its denial of “non-Western” agency.