voi Cesbetween giddens and Jones is like this. They are choreographer and writer, respectively,
but the account shows that the connection is created through the individual responses
to each other’s perspectives, rather than through formal delineation of roles. in
contrast, gemmell gives an account in which structural relationships influence the
direction of the research. Both sets of his professional relationships, as a tutor and as an
educational researcher, have a powerful influence on the starting point for the research
and on its subsequent development.
‘The circumstances that influence – and are influenced by – a self include specificities
of time and place.’ all three of these accounts are embedded in their specific time (the
early twenty- first century) and place (scotland or nottingham, in the uK). scriven,
Rumney and Kuksa, in particular, take care to show the historical and location specificity
of the research. They show how its rationale and methods derive from particular events
and movements within theatre in the uK in the second half of the twentieth century.
‘The world is understood through the body and also perceptions of our bodies
constrain our relationships with others.’ The accounts presented in the examples
demonstrate some ways in which the world is understood through the body and how
that impinges on the research. gemmell’s account depends on his visual appreciation
of, and response to, his surroundings. The accounts are less reflective about how the
bodies of the researchers are perceived by others. however it is possible to see how
some such constraints exist. For scriven, Rumney and Kuksa, the young children they
work with, whether as partners or subjects, will inevitably react strongly to their initial
perceptions of the adults as performers, observers or teachers; as friendly or frightening;
as boring or interesting. all such perceptions will be structured by the bodies the adults
present.
‘a self constructs itself in response to the social and political power structures it
inhabits.’ none of the researchers comment specifically on their gender, race, social
class or other socio- political influence. so any judgements about this must remain
speculative in relation to these examples and their reporting.
having looked at each element of the self, i now go on to give a few similar
illustrations for how each stage of research is affected by elements of the self. This is
to approach the same argument but from a different perspective. To emphasize this
convergence, in each case one of the illustrations is the same as one given earlier.
Focus: The examples show how the focus of the research is influenced by the
unique and undetermined responses of the individual researchers. gemmell’s focus is
influenced by his visual responses. Jones’s response to the developing inquiry, unlike
giddens’, is strongly philosophical and theoretical. he describes the development of
the inquiry in these terms. The longer piece of which this account is an excerpt, draws
on Böhm, Foucault, heidegger, levinas and merleau- ponty. giddens, on the other
hand, draws only on adorno.
Rationale: The rationale given for the pieces of research shows the significance
of professional relationships and roles. gemmell describes how his role as a teacher
educator drove the reasons for embarking on the research. scriven, Rumney and Kuksa
explain the background to their research in terms of how they see their professional
relationships positioned within the Theatre in education movement.
Method: scriven, Rumney and Kuksa emphasize the significance of theatricality,
(awe and wonder) in their work. it is possible to imagine that the use of theatre in