Broadcast: News items

Jamie with his dog Mars

We hear from Dr Jamie Barnes, Associate Professor in Sociology (School of Law, Politics & Sociology) who tells us about his research on how reality becomes ‘real’ for people – and the role that spiritual experience plays. A member of the Sussex Participatory Research Network, Jamie tells us about the impact the network has had on him and his research, helping him connect with people from across the University community.

One of the central questions my research seeks to address is: 'How does reality become real to those that experience it?' And following on from that, 'What, then, are the different realities within which bodied beings live and move?' One strand of my research focuses on what might be thought of as ‘spiritual experience’ and how that shapes people’s realities. Another strand focuses on the more-than-human world, thinking, for example, about how animals, plants and fungi experience their worlds and what we, as humans, can learn from imaginatively crossing the bridge into these other realities.

It has been wonderful to connect with like-minded people through the Sussex Participatory Research Network and experience the creative, collaborative spaces set up by the team. We all require nourishment and encouragement in what we are doing, especially when our research pathways are somewhat peculiar. The network has allowed me to connect with people from different streams across the University who are open, inquisitive and genuinely passionate about finding creative, collaborative and kind ways of doing what we do through research. For this I am very grateful.

I am working on a project with Wakehurst, Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. The project is entitled Ways of Knowing and explores the different ways in which a place, in this case Wakehurst itself, can be known through the experiences of the different bodied beings that inhabit and move through it. I am keen for this work to be communicated with a wider audience and have been having a lot of fun working with Will Hood from the Academic Podcast Agency taking field recordings made last summer and crafting these into a podcast (soon to be available).

My favourite thing about being at Sussex has to be the people. I know that sounds like a cliché! But I work with genuinely great people in the Department of Sociology and Criminology and the students that we have coming through the department are inquisitive, kind and curious. They are a pleasure to teach. If I’m looking for a breathing space on campus, I take a walk in the woods above the Freeman building, or (if no one is using them) slowly pace around the sports fields. It’s a wonderful place to attend to the changing seasons and feel connected to the rhythms of the wider, environing world.

Much of my research is autoethnographic, which means that I never really get away from research as I am always with myself! But of course, there are times when I’m not working, and this time is mostly spent with my family. My kids are getting older now and are becoming more independent, so I’m thinking to restart some hobbies. I like watersports and used to windsurf a lot, so I’m toying with giving kitesurfing a go, and a friend has been trying to persuade me to join an outrigger canoe team. Who knows?

As people, we can be both wonderful – bringing little moments of magic into the world – and pretty dull at times. So when I think about inspirational people, I don’t tend to think about individuals (as we all ebb and flow) but I think about those moments when people choose well: choose to listen, choose to be kind, choose to give space to someone else because they need it, and all the other small choices that people make that move us, as humans, in the general direction that we should be going. There are too many people to name here, but they – and their choices – inspire me.

The Sussex Participatory Research Network is a community enabling colleagues to share experiences, showcase best practices and develop skills in participatory research methods. Find out more including how to join.