About Bethan Pearson
Hia! I'm Bethan, but most people know me as Bea. I am going into my second year at the University of St Andrews studying Social Anthropology and Geography.
My Laidlaw research project explores the power of the Pacific research methodology and cultural storytelling tool of talanoa within the sphere of Pacific climate change discourse. In order to make meaningful change happen on the terms of those most affected by climate change and with some of the greatest history of connections with the ocean, the use of talanoa can be expanded to facilitate culturally appropriate collaboration and meaningful, effective climate change action.
I hope to implement this methodology for my Leadership in Action project to bridge the gap between localised Pacific perspectives of climate change and political spheres that fund and control climate action within the Pacific Islands. By using talanoa to co-produce knowledge and share real-world stories on the ground, I hope to facilitate action beyond the local level and tackle the reoccurring issue of scaling solutions within climate change action - particularly from within such a culturally diverse region that is so often homogenised within climate change discourse.
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More broadly, my interests lie in environmental and visual anthropology, overall aiming to understand and put into practice how visual storytelling can empower people in the face of our changing climate, and inspire audiences beyond academia to see how interconnected our world is - and the people within it. In bridging the intersection of human experiences and our physical environments, I hope to portray a future that highlights localised solutions to environmental challenges and to make this future empowering and accessible to a wider audience through film.
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Intro Content
Laidlaw Research Week 1: Stepping Into The Ocean
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University of St AndrewsExperts Like Bethan Pearson
Recent Comments
I was pleasantly surprised while reading this how many things resonated with me - it seems you and I have surprisingly similar questions and considerations within our research! I particularly love your emphasis on people's stories, and how the research also reflects your own story of the ups and downs of research. I'm also super conscious of these things, as well as what you mentioned about giving respect and integrity to the sort of pseudo-intimacy that comes with researching people you don't know.
Best of luck with the rest of the research, and let me know if you ever want to chat about these research things :)
Sounds like you've been busy with equally important things outside of the research, and this really made me smile to read. You're definitely nailing the #inspiring
I resonate with the experience of having the research reveal some quite unexpected things and realising how out of place doing formal research can feel when you're speaking with communities built on informal but deeply personal and supportive connections. Great to hear that you've been able to still plot a path forwards from this though, best of luck.
Looks like you girls are running off of Nutella - nothing like fuelling the brightest Laidlaw scholar minds with the finest foods
It's very commendable that you're addressing such heavy topics each day in your work, and even more inspiring is your approach in recognising these things and still looking for the bright side in how far we've come from these events. I resonate with feeling that your research has had an impact in your personal life and your perspective on familiar places.
Sounds like you're finding your place in the lab already, and its an exciting opportunity that you get to have a degree of research freedom. I hope you carry on settling in well and enjoying it this much!