The Thinking-Feeling-Sensing Body in Practice in Place: A Personal ‘Take’ on the Theory of Practice Architectures

As the expanding body of literature using the theory of practices architectures (TPA) attests, the theory has proven to be a useful resource for understanding, examining, and changing practices in multiple settings. Embodiment and place are inherent in the theory, and as such, feature in TPA-informed narratives. But, have embodiment and place been sufficiently explored? Is there more to be gained from exploring the affective dimensions of practice with more explicit attention to embodiment and place? Suspecting that the answer to the first question is ‘no’, and the second question, ‘yes’, I embarked on an exploratory review of key TPA concepts. The first part of this chapter is an outcome of this process: I share reflections on how we might think about and use TPA otherwise. The second part is an attempt to illustrate ideas presented in part one through a TPA-inspired narrative based on my move from an academic setting in the northern hemisphere (Sweden) to an academic setting in the southern hemisphere (Australia). This experience is particularly poignant because it heightened my attention to my social and material surroundings and evoked unexpected emotions and sensitivities that made a difference to my academic being and practice.