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Renold, Emma and Ringrose, J. 2019. JARing: making phematerialist research practices matter.
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JARring:makingphEmaterialistresearchpracticesmatter
ByEmmaRenold,CardiffUniversityandJessicaRingrose,InstituteofEducation,Universityof
London.
Howtocite:
Renold,E.andRingrose,J.(2019)JARing:makingphematerialistresearchpractices
matter’,MAI:FeminismandVisualCulture,SpringIssue.
IntroducingphEmaterialism:FeministPosthumanandNewMaterialistResearch
MethodologiesinEducation
‘PhEmaterialism’(FeministPosthumanandNewMaterialismsinEducation)startedoutas
thetwitterhashtagin2015forthenetworkconference,FeministPosthumanNew
Materialism:ResearchMethodologiesinEducation:‘CapturingAffect’(seeRingroseetal.
2015).However,itrapidlybecameaconcept-making-event;aliving,livelyeverexpanding
humanandmore-than-humanworkinggroup,whichnowbringstogetheraglobally
dispersedcollectiveofstudents,researchers,andartistsexperimentingwithhow
posthumanandnewmaterialismtheoriesform,in-formandreassembleeducational
research(Ringroseetal2018).PhEmaterialism,combinesfeministposthumanism(Braidotti,
2013;Haraway,2008,2016;ÅsbergandBraidotti2018)andthenewmaterialisms(Barad
2007;VanderTuin,2016).Itsabbreviationforegroundstheentanglementofeducational
scholarsinterestedinworkingwithnewfeministmaterialistandposthumanideasand
practices.The‘ph’ispronounced‘f’sothatsoundandletterformationbringposthuman
andfeminismtogetherinoneexpression.
Posthumantheorizationsdecentre‘mankind’exceptionalism–organizedviatheprivileging
ofwhite,individual,rational,Europeanmasculinity,repositioninghumansaspartof,rather
thansovereignover,avibrantecologyofactivematter(Bennett,2010;Braidotti,2013;
Chen,2013;Haraway2016).Criticalposthumanismrejectsracialized,sexualized,and
genderedexclusionsfromhumanityandprioritizesindigenousandotherformsof
marginalisedknowledgeandmeaningmaking(Tallbear,2015;Weheliye,2014).Posthuman
performativityrevaluestheagentialpowerofnon-humanactors,objectsandthings(Barad,
2003,2007).PhEmaterialistresearcherssticktoandarestuckwith(Ahmed,2017)the
explicitlypheministorientationofpost-phallicposthumanismandnewmaterialisms
(Braidotti,2013;Author1etal,2018);andfindthisapproachgenerativeforcreatingqueer
kin(Halberstam,2016:Haraway,2017).Insistentthatwecannotlosethemomentumof
critiqueconjoinedwithanaffirmativepoliticsofchange,theposthumanfeministasks:what
arethepossibilitiesforinjectinghumanistempiricism(Braidotti,2013)withradical
extensionsthroughourdiscursive-materialresearchapparatus(Barad,2007)?Indeed,Karen
Barad’srethinkingoftherelationshipbetweenethics,knowinganddoing(hermashedup
ethico-onto-epistemology,seeGeerts,2016)andthereforeherrematteringofcausalityand
action,throughtheconceptof‘intra-action’hasbeenpivotalinthesemovesforempirical
researchers.Baradencouragesusnottoconceiveofchangeashappeningtoorfrom
something.Rather,sheinvitesusinsteadtoconsiderhowmeaningisalwaysinprocess,
alwaysmatteringandalwaysunknownbecause‘witheachintra-action,themanifoldof
entangledrelationsisreconfigured’(Barad,2007,p.393-394).Asshesuggests,‘thereareno
singularcauses.Andtherearenoindividualagentsofchange.Responsibility,andtheability
torespondtowhatmatters‘isnotoursalone’(Barad,2007,p.394).
Educationalscholarshaveseizeduponthesepost-foundationalmovestoknowingand
becomingandthechallengestheypresentfordominantandnormativesocialscience
researchmethodologies(ColemanandRingrose2013;Taylor&Ivinson,2013;Taylorand
Hughes,2016;Ringrose,WarfieldandZarabadi2018).Relatedtothe‘post-qualitative’turn
(LatherandSt.Pierre,2013)ineducationalresearchwefindyetanotherreworkingand
disruptingoftheruinsofscientificobjectivityandneutrality(MacLure2011,2015;St.Pierre,
2013;Gallagher2018)thatradicallyquestionsthemakingandvaluingofempirical‘data’
(Lenz-TaguchiandPalmer,2013;Koro-Ljungberg2015)bymappingtherelationality
betweenhumanandmore-than-humanbodies,affects,objects,sounds,discourses,digital
andearthylandscapes-awholerangeofim/materialforces(PedersonandPini,2016,see
commonworlds.net).
Byfundamentallyre-questioningwhatconstituteseducational‘data’(Lenz-Taguchiand
Palmer2013;St.Pierre,2013)andwhatdatacan‘do’(ColemanandRingrose2,2013),social
scienceresearchmethodologiesarebecomingincreasinglyandnecessarilyexpansive.Arts-
informedpractices,inparticular,areengagingandshakinguptheresearchprocessfrom
designto‘dissemination’innovelwayswithnewaffectivecurrencies.PhEmaterialist
researchersarebecomingmuchmorecraftyinmakingresearchmatterthroughcreative
andmobilemethodologiesthatcanofferpotentialnewwaysof‘doingsomethingwiththe
somethingdoing’(ManningandMassumi2014)viaarangeofedu-activismswhichare
miningthepoliticsofmatterineducational/communityengagementandqueer-feminist
publicpedagogy(e.g.HickeyMoody2015,2017;Hickey-Moodyetal.2016;Renold2018,
2019;RenoldandIvinsonforthcoming;Grayetal.2018;DenzinandGiardina2018;Harris
andTaylor2016;Springgay&Zaliwska2016;GallagherandJacobson2018).
Asqueerandfeministresearch-activistscholarsourparticularaimhasbeencreatingethico-
politicalresearchmethodologiesthatmightre-animatetheregulationsandrupturesofhow
genderandsexualitymediatechildrenandyoungpeople’slivesinschoolsandbeyond(see
alsoFoxandAlldred,2017;RasmussenandAllen2017;OsgoodandRobinson2018;
Ringroseetal.2018;Davies2018;Hodginsforthcoming;).Keytothisisactivelyseekingout
waystoconnectmoredirectlywithhowourfeministandqueerresearchpracticesoperate
atthethresholdsof‘research’‘publicpedagogy’and‘activism’–whatwesometimesrefer
toasthe‘more-than’ofresearchwhencommunicatingwhatwedoinmoreconventional
socialscienceresearchforumsandspaces(Renold2018,2019).Thishasinvolved
interrogatinghowwhatwedocomestomatteracrossthediverseassemblageswebecome
entangledwith,fromthemicro-politicaltolocalandnationalmacro-politicalterrains(
RingroseandRenold2014).Inspiredbythe‘intra’nessofentangledim/materialforcesthat
takeourresearch-activismsonunplannedrouteswehavebeguntotheorisethese
encountersas‘intra-activistresearchassemblages’(seeRenoldandRingrose2017).Joining
Barad’s‘intra’with‘activism’,signalsthewayschangeandtransformationisalwaysin
process,alwaysunpredictableandalwaysamatterofentanglement(the‘intra’ofintra-
activism)inexplicitlypoliticalways(shifting‘action’to‘activism’).Anditisthemakingand
framingoftheseintra-activistresearchassemblages,andourapproachtotheconceptof
affectas‘politicallyorientedfromthegetgo’(Massumi,2015,p.viii)thatbringsustothe
heARTofthematterinthispaper.WeemphasizeARTheretoforegroundhowJARring
emergesoutofthephEmaterialismarts-based,participatoryresearchfieldofinquiryand
interventionintothelivepoliticalecologyofeducation(e.g.Hickey-Moody,2017;Renold
2018;RenoldandIvinsonforthcoming).ErinManning’snotionofanoldmedievaldefinition
ofartas“theway”hasinspiredandhelpedustheorisethisprocess.Manningarguesthatto
conceiveofartasthemannerthroughhowweengage,helpsusglimpse“afeelingforthof
newpotential”(2016;47).Wehavelearnedhowthisrequiresacarefulattentiontothe
protopossibilitiesofideasastheyroll,flowandaretransformedthoughartefactsand
events.
Massumi(2013:57)arguesthat“artisaboutconstructingartifacts–craftedfactsof
experience.Thefactofthematteristhatexperientialpotentialsarebroughttoevolutionary
expression”.Sinceitsinception,thejarringmethodologyhasbecomeaprocessof
‘immanentcritique’(ManningandMassumi2015)thatmakesthe‘factsofthematter’in
ourresearch-activistassemblagesvisibletoawidersocialsciencecommunity.Wehave
theorisedthisprocessasthemakingandmatteringofda(r)taandda(r)taphacts(Renold
2018).InspiredbyMassumi’squote‘artifact’,da(r)ta(artsinformeddata)hasbecomea
workingconceptfortheprocessofusingart-fulpracticestocraftandcommunicate
experienceinourresearch-activisms,suchasthemakingofthe‘genderjars’.Da(r)taphacts
aretheart-fulposthumanobjectsthatgenerateaqualityofwhatDeleuzecalls,“extra-
beingness”.Detachedfromtheenvironmenttheyarecreatedin,da(r)taphactsmobilizea
more-than-humanpoliticsastheycarryaffectsandfeelingsofthiscraftedexperienceinto
newplacesandspaces.Mixingdatawitharttoformthehybridda(r)taisanexplicit
interventiontotroublewhatcountsassocialsciencedata,andtoforegroundnotonlythe
valueofcreativemethodologies,butalsothespeculativeimpactofart-fulpractices(Renold
2019).AsphEmaterialistpractice,the‘ph’replaces‘f’inda(r)taphact,toregisterand
treasuretheposthumanforcesofart-fulobjectsaspotentialpoliticalenunciatorsandto
encourageamoveawayfromfixed,knowableandmeasureablesocialsciencefacts(Holmes
2015).The‘act’inda(r)taphactssignalsourexplicitethico-politicalactivistintentions.
Webeginwiththestoryofatroublinggovernment-fundedprojecton‘Youngpeople’s
experiencesofgender’(Renoldetal.2017)thatexperimentedwithinventivephEmaterialist
methodologiesinthehopethattheymightaugmentour‘abilitytorespond’andstaywith
the‘gendertrouble’(Butler1990;Haraway2016).Weundertooktheconsultancyasanact
ofwhatMassumi(2017)referstoas“processualduplicity”,respondingtoastandard
researchtenderwitharesearchdesignthathadthepotentialtogetcraftywiththeneo-
liberaluniversity‘researchimpactagenda’(Laingetal.2017).OneofthepARTicipatory
methodsthatkick-startedaseriesofunanticipatedtwistsandturnsintheresearchwasthe
useofsmallglassjars,stickynotesand‘sharpies’(permanentmarkerpens)introducedat
theendoffriendshipgroupinterviewsinschools.Wewereexperimentingwithhowjarasa
discursiveexpressiveverbintra-actedwiththephysicalobjectofasmallglassjar.Thejar
becameanexplicitlyactivistinvitationtodecorateandfillwithmessagesanythingthat
communicatedhowgendermatteredtoyoungpeople(thismethodiscontextualised
furtherbelow).
Inthefollowingsectionwesharehowlively,disorientingandexperimentalpost-qualitative
phEmaterialistresearchcanbe/come,fromtheintra-actionsintheoriginal‘fieldwork’and
theunanticipatedspin-offsthatfieldedthepotentialofwhatmoreajarcandowhenour
research‘findings’onhowgendermatterstoyoungpeoplebecametroublingandwe
becametroublesomeinourrefusalforthisresearchtobeignored,silencedandcontained.
JARbecameanentangleddiscursive-affective-matter-realisingforceofwhataffirmative
ethico-aestheticphematerialistpracticefeelsanddoes.
Morethanajar:anemergentgenderjarringmethodology
“We,asaspecies,havecraftedjars…foradistinctpurposeinresponsetodistinctreal-
worldproblems[…]thejarbecomesmorethanjustajar”(Koro-LjungbergandBarko2012,
p.258-259)
Figure1
In2015wewerepartofaresearchteamcommissionedbytheChildren’sCommissioner
OfficeforEnglandtostudyhowgendercametomattertotheeverydaylivesofjustover
125childrenandyoungpeoplelivinginfourcontrastinglocalesacrossEngland(Braggetal.
2018).Theadvertisedtenderforthisgovernmentfundedresearchenabledustocrafta
researchdesignthatallowedustobeopenandupfrontthroughouttheprocessaboutthe
team’sfeminist,queerandparticipatoryandrightsbasedapproach(LeavyandHarris2018).
Centralherewasourethico-politicalaimtocreateresearchencounterswithandforyoung
peopleinschoolenvironmentsthatmightgosomewaytoenableustoexplorethe
regulatoryandrupturingeffectsofhowgendermattersinflow,andofferingasmany
different‘ethicalmoments’for‘becomingparticipants’(Author1etal.2009)enabling
youngpeopletotuneoutorwithdrawfromanactivityormoment,withoutnecessarily
havingtoarticulatethisdesireexplicitly.Theprojectwassupportedbyayouthfeminist
advisorygroup(Newid-ffem)–agroupEmmahadbeenfacilitatingforacoupleofyearsina
localWelshsecondaryschool.Together,andbuildingonandcontributingtoahistoryof
craftingsociallyengagedartsbasedresearchmethodology(Wangetal.,2017,Leavy2017)
weeventuallycreatedamulti-phasedprogressiveprocessthatallowedfordifferentmodes
ofexpressiontosurfacethrougharangeofda(r)tamakingmethodsincludingtalk,drawing,
mapping,photo-elicitationandimagesharing(e.g.memes/FBprofiles)overatwohour
periodwithsmallfriendshipgroupinterviews(seeBraggetal.2017forfulloverviewofthe
differenttasksandmethods).
Thefirsthouropenedwithvisual-discursivepromptsthatinvitedgeneraltalkonnames,
clothes,bodies,popularcultureandtheirinteractionwithhumanandnon-humanothersin
differentspacesandplaces,andtimes,includingsharingmoments‘scrolledback’fromtheir
mobilephones(RobardsandLincoln,2017).Thesecondhourintroducedactivitiesexplicitly
focusingongenderasaconceptualandonto-epistemologicalcategory–forexample,as
genderidentityandgenderstereotypes;andotheract/ivisms,including,gender-relatedacts
ofviolenceandgender-justiceandequityactivisms.Toenablediscussionofthemuch
under-researchedfocusonchildrenandyoungpeople’sviewsonrepresentationsof
transgender,non-binarygender,genderfluidity,genderqueerandagenderidentitiesand
expressions(seeGilbertandSinclair-Palm2018,Braggetal.2018)weintroducedaseriesof
imagesofhighprofiletransgender,non-binaryandfeministactivists,includingmedia
celebrities.Matter-realisingJudithButler’senduringlygermane“gendertrouble”,this
secondhourwaspivotalinexploringhowyoungpeoplewerenavigatinganincreasingly
visible‘genderrevolution’(NationalGeographic2016)inlocalpeerculturesanddaytoday
livesmorewidely.
Thefinalda(r)tataskwasthe“jarring”activity,whichdirectlyinvitedyoungpeopleto
considerinanywaytheywanted,how“genderjars”.The15minuteactivityinvitedeach
youngpersoninthegrouptoenterintoamoreprivateandactivistspacebygenerating
theirownmessagesforchangeandinwaysthatcouldbedirectedatthefunderormore
generallytoawiderpublic.Thematerialsonofferforeachparticipantincluded,oneglass
jar,withascrew-topmirrorlid;aselectionofmulti-coloured‘sharpies’(apopularcoveted
brandofpermanentmarkerpens);andsmallpiecesofpaperintheshapeofspeech
bubbles.Theywereinvitedtobeascreativeastheylikedandcouldwriteonthejar,inthe
jar,usingwords,pictures,symbolsetc.Withtheirpermission,ouraimwastoilluminatethe
jarswithbatterypoweredtea-lights,messagesstillinside,andassemblethem,as
da(r)taphacts,atthelaunchofthecompletedresearchforotherstointra-actwith,totouch
andbetouched,andmaybejoltedintoactionbyyoungpeople’smessagesforchange.
Whilewewereespeciallykeentoexperimentwithhowtheword-thoughtjarmightintra-act
withthephysicalobjectjarasacommunicativevesselthathistoricallyhasplayeditspartas
acarrierofdifficulttocontrolandcontainsubstancesandobjects(seeKoro-Ljungbergand
Barko2012),itisimportanttore-emphasizehowthegenderjarringactivitytookshapeand
form,asthefinaltask.Thesessionprogressivelybuiltuptothegenderjarringactivity
throughaseriesofcreativepractices,sothatbythetimethejarswereintroducedthey
werealreadylivelywithanimmanentandaffectivemicro-politicalitythatwasintra-acting
withthed(a)rtaandtalkearlierinthesession.Thus,howtheassociationsof‘jar’as
unsettling,destabilising,vibratingandjoltingmightmatter-realise“topressurizethe
processofthought-expression”(2018,p.130)wasoccurringinaspecific‘time-space-
matteringmoment’(Barad2007).Moreover,whilethejarswereintroducedspecificallyas
potentialda(r)taphactsinthemaking(thatis,aspotentialcarriersforchange)theyoffered
multiplepossibilitiesformappingjarringaffectsinthed(a)rtamakingsessionitself.For
manyyoungpeople,asweillustratebrieflybelow,difficulttoarticulatefeelingsthatmay
havebeenthought-feltinthesession,nowhadadedicatedoutlet,andcouldbe‘contained’
inapsychosocialdynamicthroughtheprocessofwriting,insertingandsealingtheminthe
glassjars.Weexplorethesematteringsthroughtwojarringvignettesbelow.
Makingda(r)taandd/artaphactswith(how)genderjars
“Weperceive-withobjects…participatingtherelationstheycallforth…creatingthe
potentialforfuturerelations”(Manning2009,81)
Figure2
Thejarringactivitybecameacollectiveprocesswhichofferedmultipled(a)rta-makingand
matteringpossibilities(figure2).Forsome,thejarseemedtobecomeacontainerforwhat
couldnotbevoicedinthesession,withsomeyoungpeople,spendingtheallottedtime
silentlyscribblingandstuffingmessagesinside,atasteadyorfuriouspace.Others
decoratedonlytheoutsideofthejar,withabstractcoloursandshapes.Forexample,one
olderyoungperson(age17)drewfragmentedgendersymbols,explicitlystatingthatthey
wantedtheirjartoshowhowtheyhatebeinglabelled,categorised,consumedorcontained.
Subvertingthetaskentirely,onegroupcreatedanadditionaljarwhichtheyturnedintoa
giftfortheresearchertoexpresshowaffirmingthesessionhadbeenforthem.Inthis
section,wesharetwoshortjarringvignettes:jarringqueer-kinandjarringschizoid-
femininity.TakinginspirationfromBraidotti’s‘alternativefigurations’,eachvignettehas
beencarefullycraftedtoprovidereaderswithapartialglimpse,throughwordandimage,at
howthejarringmethodintra-actedinsidethefullsessionandahintathowthejarsbecame
livelymore-than-humanpARTicipants,callingforthrelationsthatgesturetothecomplex
processofhowgenderismatteringinthelivesofyoungpeople.
Jarringqueer-kin
WemeetLou(age13,whiteBritish)withhertwo“BFF’s”(bestfriendsforever)Cherieand
AllanatanacademyschoolontheoutskirtsofLondon.Inthefirstnamingactivitywelearn
aboutLou’sfraughtrelationshiptotheirbirthnameJamie-Lou,anexperiencewhichis
reiteratedandexpandedonseveraltimesthroughouttheinterview.Loudescribeshowher
primaryschoolpeersusedtoconstantly“takethepissoutof”havinga“countrysinger”
stylenameandhowambiguous‘girl’(Jamie)and‘boy’(Lou)signifiersfuelledalotof
gender-basedbullying.Byyear6(age10)Louusedhe/himpronounsandbecameLouison
theschoolregister.LouisthenbecameJamie-Louinsecondaryschool,andisknownas
‘Lou’,usingshe/herpronouns.Loudescribeshergenderidentityatage13as“in-between
girlandboy”anda“tomboy”.Shetalksatlengthabouthavingtonegotiateunwantedand
painfulfamilypressures,fromhermumandsisterinparticular,toact‘feminine’and
‘becomeagirl’.Indeed,Butler’s(2004)‘hegemonicheterosexualmatrix’isinfullswingas
thewholegroupdescribebeing“hassledallthetime”fornotconformingtothegenderand
sexualnormsthatregulatewhoandhowtheycanbeinschool.Overthecourseofthe
session,therearemultiplestoriesofhowLou’sbest-friendshipswithAllan(fromprimary
school)andCherie(insecondaryschool),havebeentransformativeinshiftingtheirfeelings
ofbeing“outcasts”atschool,athomeandinvariouspublicplacesandspaces.Usingthe
interviewtotellstoriesofhowtheirgrouphasexpandedovertimetoembraceother
‘outcasts’,whatemergesinourtwohoursession,isasupportivehumanandmore-than-
humanmatrixofsharedbe/longingsanddoings.
Whenthejarisintroduceditseemstomatter-realisetheaffectivequalitiesofthese
embodiedintimaciesinuniqueandinterestingways.OnonesideofLou’sjar,inbluemarker
pen,aretwohumanstick-figuresholdingtwoballoonseachwiththenumbers12and13
locatedinsideeachballoonoutline.Underneatheachstickfigureisaloneballoon
unanchoredandfree-floating.Ontheoppositeside,alargecolourfulcharacter(seefigure3)
wearingtrousers,andaboldredT-shirtwiththeslogan,“youcandoit”gripsasmall
balloon.Ontheremainingsidesarenames;Jamie-Louinlargeredfontandontheadjacent
side,thefourfirstnamesofLou’sclosest“BFFs”.Significantly,itistheonlyjarfromthe
entirecollectionthatscribesindividualfriends’namesorthenameofthemaker.
Figure3
Insidethejar,Louhaswrittenasseparatemessagesonthestickynotes,statementsof
collectivehopesanddesires(transcribedbelowinrandomorderretrievedforwritingthis
section):
“Peopleshouldbetreatedthesameasother”
“Nouniform”
“Wecanbewhatwewant”
“Peoplewithproblemshouldnotbetreateddifferent”
“Youshouldnotjudgepeopleforwhattheirnameis”
“Wecanbeanddowhatwecan”
Inthegroupinterview,Lou,CherieandAllanarticulateasharedstrongbeliefthat“when
yougetolder…everyonejustacceptswhoyouareandwhatyoudo”.Indeed,eachmessage
inLou’sJarseemstocarrythispotentiality,demandingamoreacceptingfutureforidentity
formationandrecognition.Rupturingtherulesandregulationsofhowgenderhas
mattered/ismatteringeachstatementoffersaseriesof‘cans’and‘shoulds’forhowgender
mightonedayemergeasproblem-free,andwheredifferencecanthriveinanon-
judgemental,equitableworld.Theonlydefinitivestatement,withouttheprecursorofa
‘should’or‘can’is,“nouniform”-anenduringthemeinourschool-basedresearchthat
surfacedracialized,classed,genderedandsexualiseddiscoursesofdiscomfort,fearand
shame(Braggetal.2017).WithLou’shopesanddreamsforamoreequitableworldsealed
upinsideherjar,thejar’soutsidesgetpersonalwithanalreadyhappeningun/contained
‘candoit’assemblageofnamedt(w)eenBFFsandballoons.
JackHalberstam(2016;369)argueshowgender-queernessconvokes“differentwaysof
beinginrelationtoothers,differentnotionsofoccupyingspace”.Underscoringthe
importanceof“friendshipnetworks…whenassessingstructuresofintimacy”,thisqueer
sensibility,Jacksuggests,offersan“alteredrelationtoseeingandbeingseen”.Lou’sjarin
itsmakingandmatteringbeyondthefieldworksite,appearstogiveform-forcetothis
complexentanglementofintra-personalandpoliticaldreamsanddeclarations,permanently
makingthebelongingsofhowthe‘I’(Jamie-Lou)and‘we’(BFFs)ofidentitymatterwith
markerpens.Andwitheachturningofthejar,thenamingsmeet(party?memory?)
balloons,markedwithagecategories(12/13),whichareheldbyandseemtoaffectively
holdeachhumanfigure–balloonsfilledwitht(w)eenagedreams?hopes?fears?desires?
whichcouldbereleasedatanytime,withonealreadyontheloose.Thisemergent,fragile,
proto-celebratoryqueer-kinjarringconvokesthepotentialandlimitsof‘can-do’trans-
individuality–that‘wecanonlybeanddowhatwecan’.
Jarringschizoidfemininities
Shanice(age13)isoneoftheonlyJamaicanyoungpeopleinherschoolyear,whichis
predominantlyethnicallywhite.Shetalksanimatedlyaboutherextendedfamilywholivein
SouthLondonandsocialmediahasbecomeanimportantavenuetobesocialandstayin
regularconnectionwithherfamilyandfriendsbeyondschool.ShaniceisactiveonAsk.FM,
Instagram,WhatsAppandSnapchat.ShedrawsuponAsk.FMmemesduringtheinterviewto
exemplifyorexpandonissuesthatdifferentmembersofthegroupraise.Forexample,
whenherfriend,Jani,bringsuptherelentlesspressuresongirlstopost“pretty”images
online,shesharesthismeme(figure4)anditintra-actswiththetalktosparkadiscussion
aroundthetensionbetweenwantingtobeseenasbeautiful,butresistingactingonthis
desireforfearofbeingjudgedas“attentionseeking”.
Figure4
Intheinterview,Shanicebrieflydrawsattentiontotheracialiseddynamicsofperforming
schizoidfemininity,inthiscasemultiple,contradictory,competingelementsofidealised
femininitysuchaskeepingupone’sappearancebutnotbeingopenlyvainorcompetitive
(seeRenoldandRingrose2011).Shestatesthat“everyboylike,ifyou’retoodarkyouget
likecussedforthat.Butthenifyou’relightyougetlike,yeah,yeah,butthenboysstart
saying,ohlightskinsaretoo...ohno,Ineedagirlwithcurlyhair,andit’sreallyannoying...
butintheireyes,theydon’treallycareaboutyourpersonality.”Shanicedescribeshow
certainInstagrampostshavehelpedhertostop‘crying’aboutsomeboys’comments(see
figure5):
Figure5
Shanice’sfrustrationovercontradictoryandunfairstandardsfacingBlackgirlsinparticular
intensifiesinthejarringtask.Ontheoutsideofthejar,threesides,makepersonaland
affirmativebody-beautiful-mestatements,couchedinwell-wornneo-liberaldiscourseof
Dove-confidence(seehttps://www.dove.com/uk/dove-self-esteem-project.html):BEAUTY
(inblue):I’mme,andbeautiful(inpink)andLoveyourselfbeyouxx(inblack).Onthefourth
sideaseriesoffivequestionmarksunderscorethewordGENDER(inpink)thatopensupa
moreuncertainandcuriousjarringofhowgendermatters,thecontradictionsofwhich
becomemoreacuteinsidethejar.
Indeed,eachnoteispopulatedwithda(r)tathatseemstodramatizeabattlebetween
society’scontradictoryrulesofblackgirlhoodandherownlife(figure6)–messageswhich
intra-actwithinspirationalslogansthataretakendirectlyfromsocialmediamemesand
pedagogicalstatementsaboutwhat‘sket’means.
Figure6
"You'resofullofyourself"NoIhadalotofinsecuritiesandalowselfesteemwhichI
workedextremelyhardtoovercomeandnowIrealizethatI'mawesomeandIdon't
careifyouthinkotherwise.
Societyhasmadesomegirlsthinkthattheydon'thaveaperfectbodybecausethey
don'thaveenoughbootyorboobs.Wehavetochangethat,becauseeverybodyis
beautifulintheirownway.Someonesomebodyisgoingtoappreciateyounotyour
body(loveheartsymbol)
YOURBEAUTIFUL
Ibelieveeverybodyshouldbefeminist.
Howcanyousuckman'sdick,butbescaredtoeatinfrontofhim?.
Don'tcomeatmewiththat"Iheard....aboutyou".Iknowpeopletalkaboutme,I'm
theshitmovingon.
Sket:Someonewhosleepsaroundandisjustageneralwhore.Alwaysbitchyto
everyoneandmostlymean.Youcouldalsocompareitwithaslag
In15minutes,Shanicecreatesad/artaphactthatasyoureachinandpulloutthemessages
(aprocessthatisdifferenteachtime)transportsyouintoadynamicmicro-politicalschizo
assemblagethatpowerfullyconfrontssociety’sinyourface,“comeatme”schizoid
femininity;wherebodyandselfarebothseparatedandtogether(“somebodyisgoingto
appreciateyounotyourbody”);wherefeelingsofinsecurity,shame,agencyand
empowermententanglewithacompulsory“Idon’tcare”,“I’mawesome”attitude;where
‘Sket’iscarefullydefined,withaknowingandowningthatofferspotentialforresignification
(seesimilarpracticesinthereclaimingof‘slut’,RingroseandRenold2012).Isthisa
d/artaphactoforfor‘immanentcritique’(ManningandMassumi2015)?HasShanice’sjar,if
onlyinthemomentofitsmaking,becomeameanstomatter-realise“theshitmovingon”
fromtheoppressive,schizoidconstraintsofhierarchical,racialised,sexualised,abjectand
yetexpectedandrewardedfemininity.
WhiletheJarringtasktookoff,inwaysthatwehopewehavebeenabletosharealbeit
brieflyabove,whatwedidnotanticipateatthetimewashowthefactsofthematterings
thatsurfacedthroughthemethodsusedtogenerated(a)rtacreatedwithyoungpeople
wouldjoltandaffectinwaystootroublesometobesupportedbythefunder(thedetailsof
whichcannotbemadepublic).Tothisdaythose100+jarsremainunderlockandkey,
preserving,likeajarcan,stored,inwaiting,tointra-actinfutureart-fulencounters.The
messages,indigitalformatleast,havereachedthewiderworldthroughourpublished
researchreport(Renoldetal.2017),butwecontinuetograpplewiththeuncannynatureof
thejartobothcontainandconvoke.Carefullyattendingtothecomplexitiesregardingthe
politicalcapacitiesofd(a)rtaineachresearchassemblageisacriticalaspectofresearcher
response-abilityandanintegralpartofphematerialistethicalpractice.
WhatJar’sYou?:co-creatingphEmaterialismresourcesandeventswithyoungpeople
“It’salwaysgoodtomakespacefortheunpredictable.Sometimesthemostexciting
thingshappenwhenyouleastexpectthem”(www.agenda.wales,Renold2016,p.69)
Affects,writeMassumi,canbefascistandviolent,blockinganddisabling-butthereis
alwaysmovement.AsErinManningwritesabout,inhernotionofartas‘theway’,as
process,ratherthanformorobject,whilethesejarsmaybestuckinform,theirprocesshas
evolvedandthejarphEmaterialistpracticecontinuestoin-formourpractice.Thefeeling-
forceofthejarringactivitygeneratedsuchevocativeandprovocativeda(r)tathatEmmare-
routedandreturnedthemethodology,anditsactivistpotentialbacktoWales,insertingand
integratingitintoaradicalresourcethatwasunfoldingandrisingatspeed.Instarkcontrast
toEngland,physicalandpoliticalproximitytopolicyandpracticemakingassemblagesin
Wales(relationshipsforgedandfoundeduponyearsofcarefullycultivatedcollaborations)
enablednewopeningstotakethisactivistpotentialofthejarringmethodologyonitsway.
Followingtheroyalassentofthepotentiallyground-breakingViolenceAgainstWomen,
DomesticAbuseandSexualViolenceAct(VAWDASV2015)Waleswasbuzzingwithpromise
andpossibility.AstheGenderMattersprojectwasforciblycomingtoahalt,Emma
facilitatedthestARTerproject(SafeToAct,RightToEngageandRaise)withanadvisory
groupof12youngpeopleacrossurban,coastalandsemi-rurallocalitiesinWales.Theirfirst
activitytosharewhatmatteredtothemwasthejarringactivityandsixmonthslaterthis
wasdesignedtobecomeoneofthecentralactivitiesinthe75pageactivistresource
‘AGENDA:Ayoungpeople’sguidetomakingpositiverelationshipsmatter’(Author12016,
figure5)inWhatJarsYou?(seeFigure7)
Figure7
Co-createdwithyoungpeople,AGENDAisaninteractiveonlinefeministactivisttool-kitwith
thesoleaimtosupportyoungpeople,age11-18,tospeakoutaboutandgetinvolvedin
localandglobalsocial,culturalanddigitalchange-makingpracticesongender-basedand
sexualviolence-issuesthatarealltoooftensilenced,undermined,sensationalised,
simplifiedorpathologised.InspiredbytheLatin,“thingstobedone”,“matterstobeacted
upon”,AGENDAisanaffirmative,ethical-politicalandcreativeapproachtoengageand
changedeeplyentrenchedandcomplexissues.ItisphEmaterialisminaction,jam-packed
withover30creativechange-makingideassourcedfromlocalandglobalyouthactivist
stories,withda(r)taphactsmade,foundorhyper-linkedto.Indeed,somanyoftheissues
addressedintheresource,includingthegenderpaygap,misogynoir,poverty,mental
health,streetharassmentandLGBTQIrights,areareasthattheyoungpeoplefromthe
GenderMattersprojectwereinsertingintotheirgenderjarsasmattersofconcern.
Crucially,then,AGENDAwascreatinganopeningforthejarringtocontinuetojoltinan
explicitlyactivistresourcethatwaslayingthefoundationsforhowelsegender-basedand
sexualviolencecanbeaddressedwithyoungpeople.Andyoungpeople’sda(r)taphacts
werejarringtheway(seethemakingoftheruler-skirt,Renold201).Indeed,AGENDAtakes
thejarringmethodologyanddispersesitspotentialthroughouttheresourcebecauseitisall
aboutcreatingart-fulencountersthatmakespaceforyoungpeopletolearnandspeakup
aboutgender-basedandsexualviolencethroughthemicro-politicalpracticesofothers.It
alsoincludesasection,highlyrelevanttothispaper,called‘tacklingthedream-busters’.This
wassomethingthattheyoungadvisorygroupwereparticularlykeenonincluding,knowing
howdifficultandriskyraisingawarenessontheseissuescanbeandnotjustintheirown
peergroupsandonline.Aswewerealltoopainfullyaware,thedream-bustersarealsoadult
otherswhostruggleorrefusetohear,supportoractupon‘whatmatters’oncetheyhave
surfaced.
AnchoredwithsponsorshipfromWelshGovernmentandmulti-agencysupport,and
enhancedbytheglobalripplesofthe#metoomovement,AGENDA’saffirmativeapproach
torisky,radicalandovertlypoliticalcontenthasflourished.SchoolsinWales,and
increasinglyinEngland,arereachingoutforsupport,andAGENDA(accompaniedbyour
outreachteam1)isfindingwaystobecomeresponse-able,sharingwhat’spossibleineach
contextandspace.TheWhatJarsYou?activityalsoseemstohavebecomeoneofthemost
popularandaffectiveintheentireresource.Itcaptureseverythingaboutthematerial-
affective-discursivequalitiesofhowtostepintotheart-fulnessofmicro-politicalactivisms.
Indeed,da(r)taphactsco-createdwithyoungpeopleatthelaunchofAGENDAhavebecome
use-ful,intra-activepedagogicalandethicalobjects.Over40youngpeopleattendeda
morningofpre-launchAGENDAworkshopswhichincludedbeinginvitedtotakepartinthe
WhatJarsYou?starteractivity.In30minutestheyfilledtheirjarswithda(r)taandtwo
volunteers,carryingthejarsinwoodentrayswiththewords‘whatjarsus’,‘fragile’,‘making
changematter’(seefigure8).Asthe75policymakersandpractitionersarrivedtoregister,
theywereeachgiftedajar.
1Thecoreteamincludes:MatthewAbraham,VictoriaEdwardsandKateMarston.
Figure8
Theaimwasforthejarstoaffectthosewhoostensiblyholddecision-makingpowersandto
connectthemtotheeverwideninggulfofyoungpeople’sexperiencesthroughobjects,
da(r)taphacts,explicitlycreatedthroughandforpoliticalchange.
Wehaveexperimentedwiththisprocessonmanyotheroccasionssince,andeachtimewe
arecraftingan‘event’whichoffersan‘immanentcritique’throughnewprocessesand
products,whichintheinstanceoftheAGENDAlaunchwasabouttrustinginhowthejars,as
d/artaphactsmighttakeonaqualityof‘extra-beingness’,transportingideasand
experiencesforotherstointra-actwith,andinwaysthatkeptpersonalidentities
anonymous.Creatingdistancefromthepersonalandindividualthroughthecollective
giftingwasvital(giventhebacklashthatoutingwhatmatterstoyouontheseissuescan
incite)andthejarshadthecapacitytodothis,toholdthesepotentialrevolutionaryaffects
–toyieldan‘extra-beingness’.Infact,becauseconferencedelegatesknewthatthejarshad
beencreatedthatmorningforthembytheyoungpeoplewhowerestillphysicallyinthe
room,thewaytheyconnecteddirectlytofeltexperience(theiraffectivelyquality)seemed
totakeonanextra-charge–intensifyingtheirextra-personal,transindividualvitality.
Landingtentativelybutalwaysinafieldofpossibility,wehaveseentheimpactofthe
AGENDAjarstake-off.Inmanyways,thejarringmethodologyhasbecomeaminorgestural
force(Manning2017,p.),drawingout‘thepotentialattheheartofaprocess’,through
‘forceimbuedmaterial’thatismakingitselffeltacrossarangeofcarefullycultivatedevents,
asda(r)taandd/artphactsthatparticipateinprofessionalandpublicpedagogy,includingin
ourhighereducationclassrooms(Ringroseetal.2018;seeBraidottietal.2018).Indeed,
theyhavealsobeenignitingaseriesofresearchactivismsinprimaryandsecondaryschools
acrossWalesandbeyond,registering,disruptingandpropelling‘whatmatters’forwardand
insomecasesre-assemblingtherules,joltingandconnectingtherawnessofyoungpeople’s
troublesandragewitheachother,andwithpractitioners,teachers,socialworkers,youth
workers,policeofficersandgovernmentministers,fromthesouthWalesvalleystoNew
York,inapanelwiththefirstministerforWales,sharinginnovativewaystoadvancegender
equality(https://vimeo.com/258109983).Andwitheachsitevisitnewda(r)taphactsare
madetomatter,andwithpermission,theyaregiftedandsharedtoin-formfuture
pedagogy,practiceorpolicyfromthemicrotothemacro.Thelatestiterationhasinvolved
workingwithteachersin10primary,secondaryandspecialschoolswhoareinviting
studentstousethejarringmethodologytomakeda(r)taandcraftd/artaphactstoinform
andsharetheschools’developmentoftheirrelationshipsandsexualityeducationwith
governors,parents/carers,andotherschoolsacrossWales.Thisispartofacreativenew
approachtomakingRelationshipsandSexualityEducationmatterinwaysthatforeground
childrenandyoungpeople’svoice,rightsandexperience.Alivingphematerialistcurriculum
forschoolsisvibratingwithpotential(seeRenoldandMcGeeney2017b)andthejarsarein-
formingthiswork.
#impactjarsandimage-i-nation:digitalintra-activismsin-formingpolicy,practiceand
prizes
Furthercapacityforthejars‘extrabeingness’tovibrate,unsettleandconnectacross
networkedpoliticalpublics,wasexploitedthroughactivatingadigitalphEmaterialist
presenceinthepolicyfocusedtwittersphereoftheUKEqualitiesSelectCommitteeInquiry
intoyoungpeople’sexperiencesofsexualharassmentandviolenceinschools.Whilevitalin
itspotentialtosurfaceanarealongneglectedandterritorialisedbytheindividualising
binarylogicofanti-bullyingdiscourses,withtheirvictim-perpetratorsubjectpositionsand
obfuscationofthecomplexwaysinwhichyoungpeopleturnoneachothertoshamehurt
andabuse(SchottandSØndergaard2014),thisinquiryreallydidjarwithus.Fortoolong,
childrenandyoungpeople’sexperienceofsexualharassmentinschoolshaslongbeenon
thefundedandun-fundedresearchradarandresearchagendasoffeministacademic
educationalscholars,whosepapers,reportsandbooksforwellovertwodecadeshave
consistentlymappedouttheseexperiencesbutaretoooftenneglectedbypolicymakers.
Herewasyetanotherinquirycallingforevidenceandwewereenragedthatacademic
researchevidenceneverseemstomatterenoughinandofitselftocreatethe‘force-feeling’
(Manning2016)toeffectchange.Thejarscalledusintoaction,again!
Thistime,wegotcreativewiththedigitalonto-powerofthejars.For30daysleadingupto
theconsultation,weputquotesfromourEnglishandWelsh-basedresearchonsexual
harassment(Renold2013;Ringroseetal.2012)insideadigitalimageofajar(figure9),with
theironichashtag,#researchmatters(seefigure10)andtweetedeachimagetotheWomen
andEqualitiesselectcommittee.
Figure9
Figure10
Thisimage-i-nativeinterventionwastodrawattention,notonlytothedigitizedjar
d(a)rtaphact,highlighting,throughpapersanddirectverbatimquoteswhatchildrenand
youngpeopleendureinschool,itwasalsosignallingwhatjarstheresearchcommunity
whenresearchevidencestrugglestomatterandprodpolicyandpracticeintoaction.As
faithful,multi-taskingscholars,wesubmittedevidenceinthetraditionalformatthroughour
‘evidence’reports,butitwasthedigitaljarsthatcapturedthecommittee’sattention.Two
daysaftertweetingthejars,wewerebothinvitedtoactasinformalconsultantsinshaping
theinquiry,thusopeninguprareandcrucialspacestoaugmentthedigitalintra-activismby
connectingtheinquiryleadfacilitatorwithawiderassemblageofgenderjarringcolleagues
engagedinfeministresearchonthisissue.
Threeyearson,wehavebeenharnessingthehapticvisuality(Marks2000)ofthejarsas
digitalda(r)taphactsasstillandmovingimagesacrosspolicyandpracticeterrains–images
whichconvokesensationsoftouchandmovementthroughlookingandwhichhavebeen
createdforchildrenatpublicengagementeventstointra-actdirectlywith(seefigure10).
Figure11
MuchofthisdigitalmatteringhasbeenoccurringinWales,acountrywitharichhistoryof
socialjusticeandequalitiesagendasandrisings,andadevolvedgovernmentwithadistinct
policycontextwherethe‘marginsofmanoeuvrability’(Massumi2015)areoperatingina
relationalfieldwhererevolutionarypotentialhasbeenmoreableto“amplifyandbloom”
(seeRenold2019).MostnotablythismatteringhasoccurredinthecraftingoftheWelsh
Governmentdocument,“Thefutureofthesexandrelationshipseducationcurriculumin
Wales”.Here,acolourimageofalineofjarsback-droppedbyasouthwalesvalleys
landscapeisthefirstimagethatgreetsthereaderonopeningthedocument.Itwascreated
by10yearoldsinanextendedversionofthejaractivityinaproject,“CraftingEquality:
StitchingourRights”whichinvolvedselectingandplacingcolouredbuttonsthatconnected
tothefeelingsoflivinginanunjustworldinajar(figure12,RenoldandMcGeeney2017a,
p.2):
Figure12
Thisimage,amongotherdigitalda(r)taphactsnowsemioticallyintra-actswiththe
recommendationsforaradicalnewvisionofrelationshipsandsexualityeducationinWales,
makingyoungpeople’svoicesmatterandJARinaprocesswhichhadlimitedcapacityto
meaningfullyconsultwithchildrenandyoungpeople.
Moreover,inanunexpectedtwisted‘turn’ofevents,theAGENDAresourceandtheJARS
return,ironicallymakingtheirmarkinanofficialinstitutionalspaceonthethemeof
‘researchimpact’duringEmma’sinterviewfortheEconomicandSocialResearchCouncil’s
(ESRC)outstanding“impactonsociety”prizeforherworkonpARTicipaotryapproachesto
creativeactivismswithyoungpeopleviathephEmaterialistAGENDAresource.Co-
producingthefilmwiththefilm-maker,shesharedthestorythroughaseriesof
da(r)taphacts.Makingtheprocessforce-felt,priortotheinterview,fourcoremembersof
theschool-basedfeministWAM(wearemore)whoformedimmediatelyfollowingthe
AGENDAlaunchcreated‘IMPACTAGENDA’jars.AstheinterviewdrewtoacloseEmma
giftedthejarstothepanel,brim-fulwithmessagesofhowtheresourceandtheirown
agendashavemadeadifferencetotheirlivesandthelivesofothers(figure13).
Figure13
Transindividual,non-representational,more-than-human,inthisgiftingmoment,these
ethical-politicald/artaphactsweremakingthepoliticalityofresearcher-response-ability
force-feltandmattering(Barad2007).Andifyoulookcloselyatthe
promotional/celebratoryfilm(https://esrc.ukri.org/news-events-and-publications/impact-
case-studies/transforming-relationships-and-sexuality-education/)youcanspottheoriginal
GenderMattersjars,temporarilyreleasedfromtheirlockedcupboard,makingacameo
appearance,tosignalhowsometimesresearchcanflyandsometimesitcanfold,but
phEmaterialistresearchwillalwaysjar,andwillalwaysbeontheturn.
Conclusion:‘ontheturn’,jarringthefuture
“Tomakeasituationimportantconsistsinintensifyingthesenseofthepossiblethatitholds
in itself and that insists in it, through struggles and claims for another way ofmaking it
exist”.(DebaiseandStengers,2017:19)
Inherbook,LivingaFeministLife,SaraAhmed(2017)writesaboutbeingroutinelywound-
upbyotherswhentheyareconfrontedwithfeministkilljoys.Feministkilljoys,she
continues,whocallouttheproblem,tendtobecometheproblem.TheyJAR.WeJAR.For
us,engagingwiththegenerativeaffectivequalitiesofourjarringmethodologywehave
beenexperimentingwithaprocessthatwefeelisbeginningtocapturethewaysinwhich
phEmaterialistresearchpracticesareproductivelyworkingwithbecomingmore-thanthe
problem.Indeed,thedrivingforceinwritingthispaperforthisspecialissuehasbeento
provideapartialcartographythroughwordsandimage,howlively,disorientingand
experimentalthematteringofourJARRINGpracticeshavebe/comesincetheyfirstsurfaced
asada(r)tamakingactivityintheGenderMattersproject.Ourstory,joinsotherprojects
andpracticesthatarebeginningtoshareandtheorisehowpostqualitativephematerialist
encountersarecomingtomatterbeyondtheacademy.
JayneOsgoodandKerryRobinson(2019;177)writeintheirfinalchapterfrom‘feminists
researchinggenderedchildhoods’that“dothisworkrequiresalogicofunknowability,a
logicofopenness,andalogicofuncertainty”.Perhaps,inthetelling,whentime-space
contractstoproducetheillusionofcoherence,ithascomeacrossasaknowableandlinear
process,asonecolleaguereportedatarecentevent,“Iloveyourjarproject”.Rather,JARis
simultaneouslythediscursive-affective-matter-realisingforcesthatwhenstilledandprised
apart,beginstocapturewhatacollective,affirmative,response-ableethicscanfeelanddo.
Itbeganwithhowwhatwedomatters,andstring-figurelike,continuedandcontinuesto
matterinexpectedandunexpectedways.
Ourresearchintra-activismsarerootedinDebaiseandStengersnotionof‘speculative
pragmatism’–doingsthatarealwaysalready‘ontheturn’(a17thCenturydefinitionofjar)
inwaysthathelpusstay“opentotheinsistenceofthepossibles,andofthepragmatic,as
theartofresponse-ability”(2017,p.19).Inandacrosseachsectionwehaveattemptedto
maphowourjarringpracticeshaveinsistedongeneratingwhatmatters,insidecarefully
craftedencounters,eventsandresources,thathave,indifferentways,contributedtoin-
formpolicy,practiceandpedagogyinourfieldofinquiry.Thesecraftingsandgraftingshave
required“passionandaction,holdingstillandmoving,anchoringandlaunching”(Haraway
2016,p.10).Andwhiletemporaryexistsanddepartures(somevoluntary,someforced)have
alwaysbeenpartoftheprocessamidstthefoldingsandperishingsofmomentsand
projects,newhopesandpossibilitieshavesometimesemergedandflourished.
ReturningtothesensoryandaffectiveintensitiesofJARringwebringthisarticletoaclose
withthe1520sdefinitionofjar,whichis“bird-screeching”!Whenwebecameawareofthis
variationinjars’etymologicalhistory,weinstantlybeganlikeningourtroublesomejarring
methodologiesandresearchactivismstoGuattari’swritingsonthemessengerbird.Ina
sectionon‘existentialrefrains’,Guattari(1989/2013,p.147)introducesthemetaphorof
themessengerbird‘thattapsonthewindowwithitsbeak,soastoannouncetheexistence
ofothervirtualUniverses’,thatis,otherwaysofbeingthatmightrupturethestatusquo.
Thisstatementconjuredanimageinourminds-eye-itshaptic-visualityresonatingwithour
jarringwaysofhowwhatwedocomestomatter.Sometimesinourparticipatoryresearch
withyounggenderandsexualbecomingsandactivisms,ourresearch-activistbeaksgently
tapawayatthestatusquo,andsometimeswebecome,SaraAhmed’shammer-smashing,
callingouttheviolenceofhowgenderandsexualityjars.Sometimeswebecomescreeching
sirens,creatingresearchactivistassemblagesthatsupportthosewhowanttoexpresstheir
experiences,butatadistance,orhiddenfromviewentirely.Silent,screechingand
anywhereinbetween,wearealwaysentangledaspartofourPhEmatieralistapproachin
themore-thanofwhatwebecomepartof,andouremergentjarringmethodologyis
diffractivelypARTicipatinginthisprocess.Ithasallowedustothinkthroughandmatter-
realisethetransversaljourneyofhowaddressinggenderandsexualityinchildrenand
youngpeople’slivescontinuestovibrate,shake-up,unsettleandjolt(OsgoodandRobinson
2018).And,amidstalltheuncertainty,wehavelittledoubtthatitwillcontinuetobe
productivelyJARring.
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