"Out of Love for Research". A Methodological Proposal for the Study of Embodiment

Sociology of the body can be understood as a branch of sociology that examines the diverse bodies, aligned with a methodological perspective that recognizes human embodiment as an object of study. Out of love for research emerges as a discovery of becoming. It represents a continuous quest for the intersections that the study—specifically, as a biopsychosocial phenomenon—engenders within the field of the sociology of the body. It is marked by intensely lived bodily experiences during a study on the significance of Donald Pierson (1900-1995) in shaping the sociology of the body in Brazil. A figure from the Chicago School, Pierson played a foundational role in establishing Brazilian sociology. However, in Brazil, he is often regarded as a scientific outsider. My research on this author has led me to diverse geographical spaces, crossing borders and continents, and redefining. Donald has instilled in me a fascination for overlooked themes, such as studies on Black communities; the inhabitants of the São Francisco River; and immigrants in São Paulo, which still lack the same status in the constitution of sociological study objects that can be situated within an activity school, in line with the ambitious intellectual project of his mentor, Robert Park. Consequently, the author inspired me to venture into North American territory and, through what can be described as a “serendipitous occurrence” (term from Marisa Peirano, a Brazilian anthropologist), led me to the place where he spent his final days: nursing home in Leesburg, Florida. This location, indeed, evoked a complex mixture of feelings and emotions in me as a sociologist with over 30 years of research experience, revealing the intersections of love. For me, this encapsulates the relationship present in symbolic interactionism between the sense and significance of research—the passion for scientific endeavor. Love. With love, for Donald Pierson