For us, the subjugation of bodies is particularly troubling when bodies are brought together for a conference. In the conference space, bodies become something different than the lone researcher who writes and works alone; in classrooms, symposiums, standing out in front of colleagues, sweating with nerves, bodies now meet other bodies to share ideas, are judged, assessed, and work to impress others.
At the end of a conference, these bodies often become just plain tired. The affective, relational, embodied turn is now swelling (Cromby 2012, Shotter 1983, Nevile 2015) as researchers start to explore from within the moment of the research relationship to examine intra-action (Barad 2007).
And within the conference space of ECQI 2018, a group who had met the year previously and worked, played, explored and wrote together in Spain a few months before, decided to create an open space in which to express concern about the absence of the body in our reading, writing and academic studies. It also emerged with a concern about the hierarchical nature of bodies within the academy, including in relation to gender, age, ‘race’, skin colour, sexuality, non-disability/disability.