Mapping and telling stories to reflect on the daily lives of vulnerable populations

• Grant number: 24/07775-2
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships abroad - Research
• Start date: August 19, 2024
• End date: December 18, 2024
• Field of knowledge: Health Sciences - Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy
• Principal Investigator: Lilian Vieira Magalhaes
• Grantee: Lilian Vieira Magalhaes
• Host Investigator: Denise Maria Gastaldo
• Host Institution: Centro de Ciências Biológicas e da Saúde (CCBS). Universidade Federal de São Carlos (UFSCAR). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Institution abroad: University of Toronto (U of T), Canada

Abstract

This Research Scholarship Abroad (BPE) project originates from projects carried out since 2016 as part of my activities at UFSCar and is mainly related to my interests in qualitative methodologies, knowledge synthesis (literature reviews), and knowledge mobilization. In each of these fields, I have been striving to establish bridges between the scholarship in the field and the practices of occupational therapists.This document summarizes a set of activities/actions planned for 12 months of leave, divided into two stages: 4 months at the University of Toronto, specifically at the Lawrence Bloomberg Faculty of Nursing, in Canada, where I intend to work with Professor Denise Gastaldo, in a collaboration that dates back to 2002; and an 8-month period in Brazil, dedicated to writing the publications started in Toronto and planning future works.Therefore, I aim to work with the following objectives:I. Reflect on the use of body map storytelling in the recent past, examining the epistemological, cultural, technical, and political contexts in which they are developed.II. Seek any recurring patterns and models, as well as identify procedural recommendations that may enhance the reach and contribution of body mapping.III. Establish a network of researchers interested in body mapping, aiming to exchange and disseminate experiences on an international scale.To achieve this, the following activities are planned:1. Update the Literature Review on the use of Body Map Story Telling (Gastaldo et al., 2018), expanding the scope of areas of interest to include interfaces using the maps, such as Education and Social Sciences.2. Update our Manual "Body-Map Storytelling as Research: Methodological Considerations for telling the stories of undocumented workers through body mapping" (Gastaldo et al., 2012), incorporating new trends in the production and use of maps, such as AI-generated images, drawing apps, and knowledge mobilization strategies.3. Organize a Network of Researchers interested in the use of Body Maps in Social and Health Research, including three virtual meetings between 2024 and 2025. The meetings aim, among other activities, to organize a book (e-book) on Methodological Perspectives of Body Map Storytelling. The chapters will be written by researchers with expertise in the field of visual methodologies, based on invitations from relationships established through the Network. The idea is to compose a theoretically rigorous and epistemologically diverse reflection, richly illustrated by the beautiful and thought-provoking maps our participants have produced.4. Write an opinion article discussing the similarities and differences in the use of Body Maps in research, therapy, didactic activities, and community projects of political, and cultural activism, among others.