Protsessulises

Protsessulises is a theoretical framework and methodological approach that foregrounds processes and transformations as the primary units of analysis, rather than static objects or states. The term appears as a neologism in scholarly discussions about how systems develop and change over time, and it is used to signal a focus on continuities, transitions, and tempo rather than fixed snapshots.

Its central premise is that events, actions, and interactions are best understood as interdependent sequences that unfold across multiple scales and sites. Protsessulises treats causality as relational and processual, emphasizing how boundaries between components are porous and how infrastructures, practices, and agents co-constitute ongoing dynamics. It also highlights the importance of temporality, variation, and emergence in analysis.

In research practice, Protsessulises guides the design toward longitudinal data, process tracing, and mappings that reveal flows, feedbacks, and bottlenecks. It is applied across disciplines such as sociology, anthropology, information systems, environmental studies, and business process management to illuminate how processes shape outcomes more than isolated entities do.

Origins of the approach trace to debates on process ontology in social science and philosophy, with influences from process philosophy and actor-network perspectives. Protsessulises is not a single theory but a toolkit that can be adapted to different domains, focusing on dynamics rather than static categorization.

Critics argue that the emphasis on process can blur structural or historical constraints, making operationalization and comparability difficult. Proponents respond that a careful mix of qualitative and quantitative methods can render processual explanations concrete and testable.

See also: process philosophy, processual analysis, actor-network theory.