The body's disclosure in phenomenological research

Abstract

Phenomenologists would agree that the body discloses the world just as the world discloses itself through the body. Yet, in much phenomenological research, the focus is on words from transcripts and protocols - the body is strangely absent. In this article, I argue for the importance of researchers attending reflexively to the bodies of both participant and researcher. I advocate attending to the body and embodiment through at least three distinct, though connected, layers: bodily empathy, embodied self-awareness and embodied intersubjectivity. Examples from different research projects are offered to show how such analyses might be worked reflexively. The final discussion section raises some critical issues about pursuing research in this way and examines the practical challenges of engaging in reflexive bodily analysis. © 2006 Edward Arnold (Publishers) Ltd.