Bourdieu in the land of logistics: what methodological implications for supply chain management research?[Bourdieu au pays de la logistique : quelles implications méthodologiques pour la recherche en supply chain management ?]

The article attempts to respond to recent calls for methodological diversification within logistics and the SCM field by proposing a methodology for future studies along the lines of theory of practice. One of the merits of theory of practice lies in the idea that social relations and processes tend to be deposited in two main forms: in bodies (habitus) and in things (field and capital). Furthermore, through its focus on practices as vehicles for relations of power and domination, theory of practice can expand conceptualizations of the supply chain to include actors that have previously been neglected. Within the framework of theory of practice, the researcher must study practices in the dual light of dispositional logics, and the logics of position and position-taking, which give them their form, meanings and social efficacy. The authors begin by presenting the main methodological challenges related to the mobilization of theory of practice in the field of logistics and SCM. They then propose a three-step methodological approach to capture and interpret the practices of logistics actors, as well as the habitus, field and capitals at stake.