Belonging and the post-pandemic university: a research-creation approach

Purpose Belonging is an ontologically unstable concept that has resisted efforts towards definition and operationalisation. Yet, sense of belonging is associated with a range of positive outcomes in higher education. This paper aims to describe a research-creation approach to understanding belonging in the post-pandemic university. Design/methodology/approach This project adopted a research-creation approach that combined creative and academic research practices to develop a hermeneutic understanding (Verstehen) of belonging across one large university community in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic. Findings Written, visual and scholarly representations of the phenomenon of belonging revealed the people, places, shared experiences and recognition that formed the essence of belonging for participants in this project. Originality/value This research-creation project offers a reminder that efforts to design future education so that it supports sense of belonging must begin with attending to the ways and conditions in which belonging is currently supported in higher education. In this way, any initiatives or interventions to support belonging will align with the inherently diverse and nebulous nature of belonging as a phenomenon.