A case study and request of organizations for sociological expertise in Cameroon
The case study is a research strategy typically mobilized for its capacity to allow for the description and in-depth analysis of social phenomena. In addition to its purely heuristic scope, this article reveals that the case study, as it is practiced in the sociology of organizations in Cameroon, is oriented towards supporting organizations in the economic field. In this perspective of translating sociological discourse into expertise, three uses are made of the case study. First, it is a didactic method used to transmit the knowledge of organizational sociology to managers in professional training. Second, Cameroonian sociologists use it in the context of academic work and scientific publications to make sense of phenomena as disparate as vocational training and witchcraft beliefs. Finally, sociologist-consultants use it to strengthen the capacity of organizations to act.