Embodying new perspectives: including the voice of more-than-human life or future generations
Type of research: qualitative empirical or mixed-method
Description:
With ecological disasters looming large, care for the ecosystem in which we live, seems vital in promoting ecological awareness and action. Empathy, the ability to put oneself imaginatively in the shoes of another, either cognitively or affectively is important in fostering a caring attitude towards other beings. How do humans gain empathy for more-than-human life (animals, plants, etc.) that they perceive as so different from themselves? Or for future generations not yet born? When humans do empathize with more-than-human life, they arguably empathize easier with a kitten than with a wasp, bacteria, or rock. Therefore, innovative approaches are needed to create empathy for the planet (Talgorn & Ullerup, 2023) and future generations. Such empathy would be an important step in giving voice to those whose future is affected by decisions and policies. To enable creative and empathic dialogue with hitherto unheard and difficult-to-hear voices, “somatically informed arts practice” (Kampe et al., 2021) “might offer new modes of thinking, perceiving and of ‘being-with’”, necessary for embodied planetary health and empathy for the more-than-human world. Therefore, this thesis project explores how dance, as a somatically informed arts practice, can be used as a method and instrument in an educational context (Pentassuglia, 2017) to generate new insights.
In this project, you will evaluate student experiences with a workshop designed to embody new perspectives of human, more-than-human and technological actors. Another option to be explored is to compare different modes of embodying and imagining the perspectives of the more-than-human (e.g. through writing, speaking, dancing, visual art). Depending on your own interest, it may also be possible to evaluate participant experiences of a workshop aimed at including the voice of future generations that are not yet born (Sools et al., 2015; Sools, 2020).
References:
Kampe, T., Mchugh, J., & Munker, K. (2021). Embodying eco-consciousness: Somatics, aesthetic practices and social action. Journal of Dance & Somatic Practices, 13(1, 2), 3–8.
Pentassuglia, M. (2017). “The Art(ist) is present”: Arts-based research perspective in educational research. Cogent Education, 4(1). https://doi.org/10.1080/2331186X.2017.1301011
Sools, A. (2020). Back from the future: a narrative approach to study the imagination of personal futures. In International Journal of Social Research Methodology (Vol. 23, pp. 451–465). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.1080/13645579.2020.1719617
Sools, A. M., Tromp, T., & Mooren, J. H. (2015). Mapping letters from the future: Exploring narrative processes of imagining the future. Journal of Health Psychology, 20(3), 350–364. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105314566607
Talgorn, E., & Ullerup, H. (2023). Invoking ‘ Empathy for the Planet ’ through Participatory Ecological Storytelling: From Human-Centered to Planet-Centered Design. Sustainability, 15(7794).