Sensing, drawing and making sense

In this essay, Carla explores her use of drawings during fieldwork at a center for tantra practices and collective living. The center was run by a woman in her fifties who offered group workshops using intimacy as a medium for spiritual practice. As part of her research, Carla took part in the workshops and lived at the center for some time. The essay explores the challenges she faced in trying to put embodied experiences into words and how she began to make drawings as part of this process. The publication includes reproductions of some of the drawings and their descriptions, as well as reflections on the possibilities that drawing offers in ethnographic fieldwork. It suggests that drawing should be seen not only as a technique for representing what we see, but rather as a powerful means of expression and communication that can enrich ethnographic processes.

You can read and download the essay by clicking on this link: