THE LEVERHULME TRUST RESEARCH FELLOWSHIP
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The research will synthesise more than a decade of research by Maggie using walking [inspired by artists who use walking as part of their practice and the walking artists network] as a method to understand experiences of migration, especially exile, displacement and belonging. The fellowship consolidates and extends this work in order to: better understand risk, borders and belonging in the twenty first century; conduct walking interviews, ‘pedestrian stories’ with residents, academics and artists to explore border spaces and places.
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The research brings together walking methods with biographical methods to explore the concept of borders, risk and belonging in Aberdeen, Durham, Lindisfarne, London & Belfast; Vancouver; Marseille; and Chios in Greece.
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Maggie has a long history of conducting ethnographic and participatory research, including arts based research, in collaboration with individuals and communities, artists/community artists, statutory and voluntary sector organisations and policy makers. She has published on issues of social inequalities, social justice, asylum, migration & diaspora, sex work, sexual exploitation and marginalisation using visual, biographical and arts based methodologies.
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The walks undertaken for this fellowship seek to explore, in conversation, the participant’s/co-walkers experiences, meanings, knowledge and understanding of borders, risk and belonging connected to the places/spaces chosen by them to take a walk.
This word press site includes maps from the walks, images, sound files and will also form the foundation of a book and papers on the subject of ‘Borders, Risk and Belonging’ in order to contribute to understanding ‘borders, risk and belonging’ in the 21st century and advance innovations in biographical, walking and visual methods.
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The project will also reflect upon the social justice impact of the collaborative research for various audiences with the aim of enhancing knowledge and understanding across an interdisciplinary terrain-especially the arts and social sciences/sociology.
With many thanks to Dot Kirkham for transcribing the sound files from all of the walks undertaken for the Leverhulme Fellowship.
Who is involved and why?
The Leverhulme Trust Research Fellowship – Methods on the Move: experiencing and imagining borders, risk &and belonging is undertaken by inviting participants [artists , researchers and residents who have agreed to be involved] to walk with Maggie along a route of their choice, connected to the theme of borders, risk and/or belonging.
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