Скачать или смотреть Body-Mapping Storytelling: A Visual Research Tool For Peacebuilding - Anna Smirnova

1st July 2025 at the University of Lincoln

This presentation explores body-mapping storytelling as a participatory arts-based method used with young people to support therapy, empowerment, and education. Drawing on research from the Mobile Arts for Peace (MAP) project in Kyrgyzstan, it demonstrates how visual storytelling enabled youth to express complex experiences around identity, gender inequality, violence, and social exclusion. The method fostered emotional healing, critical reflection, and advocacy, positioning participants as co-creators of knowledge and agents of change. By bridging cultural and communicative gaps, body-mapping proved to be a powerful tool for promoting well-being, agency, and social transformation in contexts of conflict and marginalisation.