Mapping ways forward: centering youth knowledges in education's spatial turn

Yaa Oparebea Ampofo and Khrysta A Evans

Chapter 33 in Research Handbook on the Anthropology of Education, 2026, pp 346-358 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: The spatial turn in Anthropology of Education has revealed the intricate relationships between space, place, learning, and socialization. This chapter explores how walking interviews in youth-centered education research can engage young people's complex experiences of their learning environments. Drawing from two ethnographic studies—one on Ghanaian youth experiencing socio-ecological change, and another on Black West Indian girls in New York City schools—we demonstrate how walking interviews enable participants to share social and physical maps of their educational landscapes. This method allows youth to articulate their spatial knowledge and experiences, revealing how they conceptualize, negotiate, and reshape their environments. By reflecting on the process and findings of these interviews, we illustrate how this approach advances the anthropology of education's examination of youth experiences, spatiality, and education. Furthermore, we argue that walking interviews strengthen methodological strategies for inclusive and participatory research, capturing the complexities of educational spaces and youth experiences more effectively.

Keywords: Spatial ethnography; Walking interviews; Student narratives; Youth; School geographies; Participatory methods (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035332908
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.elgaronline.com/doi/10.4337/9781035332915.00044 (application/pdf)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:elg:eechap:23336_33

Ordering information: This item can be ordered from
http://www.e-elgar.com

Access Statistics for this chapter

More chapters in Chapters from Edward Elgar Publishing
Bibliographic data for series maintained by Jack Sweeney ().