praktijkmensen

Praktijkmensen is a Dutch term used in public discourse to refer to professionals whose work is grounded in practical experience rather than purely theoretical or academic analysis. The phrase translates literally as "practice people" or "people of practice." It is typically applied informally to frontline workers and practitioners across sectors such as healthcare, education, construction, social work, and management, and is sometimes used in discussions about the relationship between theory and practice.

The concept is not a formal discipline or standardized category; its meaning depends on context. In debates about professional development, praktijkmensen are valued for tacit knowledge, experiential learning, and the ability to adapt methods to real-world conditions. Proponents argue that practice-based insights should inform training programs, guidelines, and policy, complementing research and formal theory. Critics warn against romanticizing practical experience or diminishing the importance of evidence-based methods.

In practice, the label can function as a rhetorical device to emphasize the legitimacy of practitioners’ know-how and to call for closer collaboration between researchers and practitioners. It can also signal a distinction between those who work primarily in field settings and those who focus on formal theory or design. The term remains informal and its exact scope varies by context.