The body in qualitative research: from disembodied knowledge to corporeal praxis

This keynote examines the role of the body in qualitative research, tracing the movement from disembodied forms of knowledge production toward corporeal modes of praxis. Focussing on phenomenology, hermeneutics, and the three cornerstones of human communication, that human understanding is embodied, that language is inherently inaccurate and insufficient, and that communication is metaphorical, Nicole Brown highlights how qualitative inquiry can more fully account for embodied experience.

The inclusion of the body in qualitative research is considered along a continuum: as lived experience, the researcher’s own body in the field, the body as a communicator, and the body in interaction. By acknowledging these dimensions, we will explore how researchers can transcend the limitations of language and engage in diverse practices such as walking interviews, mapping, model-making, and arts-based workshops.
Attention will be given to the full arc of the research process, from data collection through analysis to dissemination, showing how embodied methods and focus on the body reshape methodological choices and interpretive practices.

Drawing on concrete examples from my own work, I will illustrate how corporeal praxis can enrich qualitative inquiry. I will interweave theoretical grounding with experiential learning offering conference delegates opportunities to take part in practical exercises designed to heighten awareness of embodied modes of knowing. In doing so, the keynote invites researchers to reimagine qualitative research as a practice of embodied understanding, where meaning arises not only through words but through movement, interaction, and the lived body itself.