Ecologies of the self in practice – meditation, affect and ecosophy
Geografiska Annaler: Series B, Human Geography
Format:
Journal Article
Publication Date:
2017/04/03/
Pages:
207 - 222
Sources ID:
85671
Collection:
Contemplative Practices and Breath Research
Visibility:
Public (group default)
Abstract:
(Show)
Drawing upon current concerns within non-representational and post-humanist theory, this paper explores the potential of meditation to trigger non-modern forms of affect. Supported by qualitative methodology which included participant observation at mindfulness and Vipassana retreats and semi-structured interviews with meditators, the paper analyses a number of subjective transformations characterized by struggle, embodiment, porosity and fragmentation. Following the call for deeper and more comprehensive forms of affect within ecosophy, the paper offers a step-by-step analysis of the emergence of meditative subjectivities, suggesting that they point towards ways of being in the world that challenge the autonomous modern self.