Accessing Embodied Knowledges: Poetry as Culturally Relevant Pedagogy

Abstract

Poetry is an act of embodied reflexivity because it interweaves our perceptions and emotions with acts of cognition, to make sense of the world we live in. It allows us to uncover the lived experiences of our body in a direct and an unapologetic way from the inside out. In this article, I reflect on times that writing poetry and engaging in poetic inquiry empowered me to share stories and depict moments that shaped me. It allowed me to make sense of my bodily experiences as an educator, a researcher, and an Iranian–Canadian woman hoping to promote awareness of social injustices in my motherland. It guided me as I encouraged minoritized students to consider poetic inquiry as a way to access and understand their embodied experiences. In this way, I will discuss how poetic inquiry is a culturally responsive approach to creating new knowledges as it fosters reflexivity, amplifies student voices, and encourages students to share their lived experiences while seeking social justice.