Becoming a feminist sensory sociologist: a rhizomic view

This visual essay explores the author’s self-identification as a feminist sensory sociologist through the lens of Deleuze and Guattari’s (1987, A Thousand Plateaus: Capitalism and Schizophrenia. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press) rhizomic concept of ‘becoming’. It examines how this philosophical framework enabled the author to retrospectively trace connections across her career, revealing interwoven experiences that shape her professional identity. Despite holding roles as a creative art therapist, public health researcher, and lecturer in health and career education, the author reflects on the disjuncture between official job titles and the deeper, inarticulable sense of purpose that underpins her work. Through the experience of photographing Newari women creating ‘rangoli’ during the Tihar Festival in Nepal, the author encounters a moment of self-realisation, later recognising the intersection of feminist, sensory and sociological perspectives in her professional identity. This visual essay offers an intimate exploration of how a chance encounter – a sensory engagement with culture and ritual – can catalyse the formation of a professional identity, ultimately leading to the author’s identification as a feminist sensory sociologist.