What Rhetoric Tells us about Ourselves : Parallels and Crossroads LOÏC NICOLAS Personal identity is at the heart of any research enterprise, especially in the umanities and ocial sciences. Often unconsciously, through our research, we speak about ourselves; we are deuned b y t he p rojects w e l ead. Our choices, directions, and positions bear witness, in one way or another, to our sensitivities, but also to the unique experiences we have as researchers. Indeed, because it is led by real people of vesh a nd b lood, r esearch activity cannot be neutral―even if it aspires to objectivity. Our identities, which are always multiple and moving cut across and guide our work of research and analysis. In turn, this work nourishes, sculpts, enriches, and sometimes upsets our identities. There is something incredibly dynamic and exciting about this process. 189