Feeling the Field: An Exploration of Multisensory Positionality in Migration Research

This paper, based on three research vignettes featuring methodological reflections from visual and multisensory research on international migrations conducted in Norway and Poland, introduces the concept of multisensory positionality. Grounded in the theoretical discussions around positionality developed in migration studies (Anthias 2002, 2008, 2020; Yuval-Davis 2006), and supported by sensuous scholarship (Stoller 2010; Howes 2020), multisensory positionality is a holistic, intersectional approach that recognises the body and senses as crucial aspects of positionality for both the researcher and participants. The paper highlights how these embodied experiences actively shape the negotiation of meaning between people and spaces, both in a research context and as part of the migration experience. As an analytical concept, multisensory positionality addresses the opportunities and limitations arising from the embodied, multisensory experiences of the research participants. It bridges migration and sensory studies by situating the sensory aspects of people’s identities within their broader life-worlds, including the impact of structures and power relations. Keywords: Multisensory Positionality, Migration, Positionality, Creative Research, Visual Methodologies.