“It doesn't have a name. It just is its own entity, I think” (P1, 1682) Exploring Year 10 girls’ experiences of ‘place attachments’ within their school through the lens of New Materialism

‘Place attachment’ research explores the connection between individuals and their meaningful places (Scannell & Gifford, 2010). Studies suggest ‘place attachments’ provide psychological and social benefits (e.g., Kudryavtsev, Krasny, & Stedman, 2012; Little & Derr, 2018). There is limited research into adolescent experiences of ‘place attachments’ (Little & Derr, 2018), however, studies suggest that girls have less unsupervised access to public spaces than boys (Jack, 2010), limiting opportunities to develop a sense of ‘place attachment’ in public spheres. Therefore, schools are potentially important sites to explore adolescent girls’ experiences of ‘place attachments,’ however, few studies explore ‘place attachments’ within schools (Marcouyeux & Fleury-Bahi, 2011).

Three Year 10 girls completed photo-elicitation interviews exploring their experiences of ‘place attachments’ within their secondary school. I applied a New Materialist perspective, which considers human, non-human, and discourses as ontologically equal forces (Nicholls et al., 2016) within ‘place attachment assemblages’ in which all are affected by each part (Fox & Alldred, 2016).

Feely’s (2020) New Materialist narrative analysis was used to explore the semiotic-material assemblage components, to identify flows, and the forces that work to reterritorialise (maintain) or deterritorialise (destabilise) ‘place attachment assemblages’.

Identified components of ‘place attachment assemblages’ were freedom from surveillance, choice, quiet open spaces, invisibility in cosy nooks, and embodiment. The flows of knowledges, mood, gaze, and bodies, into and out of assemblages were explored. I also discussed the boundaries that separate ‘place attachment assemblages’ from non-places (Auge, 1995). Reterritorialising forces included time spent in place, ownership, routine, rule-breaking, and remembering. Deterritorialising forces included reduction of time in place, adultist narratives, gender narratives, falling out, inviting newcomers, and interlopers.

Findings suggest adultist discourses (Flasher, 1978) and a sense of social capital (Hanifan, 1916) are key forces that influence ‘place attachment assemblages’. Implications for professionals are explored.