My research is situated within the broad conceptual framework of the philosophy of place (e.g. Casey, 2009; Malpas, 1999). My goal is to examine the socio-political constructions of place in diverse socio-economic areas and fragile environments and how these meanings continue to be influenced by sustainability and impacted by global mobility processes. Conceptually, I draw on subjective ontologies and interpretivist principles that allow my research to be sensitive to context. Thus, I use multiple methods to get inside the way others see the world and to achieve understandings of everyday, emotional and sensuous experiences. My specific areas of interest are in urban multi-ethnic leisure, festivals and events, migrant family travel back ‘home’, and media texts, narratives and tourism.
