Listening. (November 2015) - Bennett, Katy
Abstract: In this paper we reflect on the kind of listening that happens in research whilst taking part in a keep fit group and getting sweaty, that pushes us to ask an interviewee 'Are you alright?' and haunts us when the project is over. This is the kind of listening that weaves through, around and beyond what is immediately heard, including the unspoken, the articulateness of objects and the listening that comes through participating. The paper stems from a project concerned with how people live, experience and manage cultural diversity and ethnic difference in their everyday lives in urban England. Divided into two sections, the first part introduces our methods that included participant observation, interviews and repeat in-depth discussion group meetings. The second section reflects on our experiences of listening whilst doing, explores feelings that mediate listening and considers the time involved in listening. Highlights: The paper is a reflective piece that follows the journey of a group of researchers trying to listen better in their project on 'Living Multiculture'. It takes a broad approach to listening which involves not only attending to talk, but also wordless encounters, context, atmospheres and much more. The paper focuses on listening whilst doing, the feelings that mediate listening and the time involved in listening.