ABSTRACT
The chapter presents an embodied narrative methodology called sensobiographic walking, that creates an unexpected physical and symbolic space for possibilities, not only for research but also in educational and social interventions with migrants. The method, developed in the framework of a new anthropology of senses, was employed with refugees and young native citizens, in a province of Northern Italy, to explore and enhance their relationships in and with the sensescape. The chapter develops a theoretical and epistemological understanding, based on the enactment of conversations and coordination of meaning among people of difference who do not usually share space and time together. Epiphanies emerged from the human experience of sharing a path, memories, and perceptions. Dialogue and cultural contact allowed for the healing of previous separations and disconnection, while the physical space became a communal place, where new meanings of living and co-existence could be constructed. The authors write from two different perspectives: as a walking biographic researcher directly involved in the field, and as a supervisor reflecting on the epistemological framework of the method. The result is the creation of a local theory of the ‘here’ and ‘there,’ emerging from the walks and enhanced by dialogues and ecology.
