Walking Together: Embodied Experiences and Ethical Dilemmas in Researching the Mobility of Women Domestic Workers

My ongoing research on understanding the mobility patterns of women domestic workers within the context of spatial transformation in Mumbai has unfolded as a journey of shared steps and encounters with 'invisible' stories. Situated within a feminist epistemological framework, my research adopts a participatory model, where the women domestic workers and I explore their everyday walking geographies, primarily from home to work and back, through walk-alongs and reflective conversations. The process of walking with these women—through the sun’s heat, the city’s chaos, and unpredictable rains—has been as laborious as it is intimate. Their walking, I have come to understand, is not merely movement, but a deeply embodied and emotional act of commoning, infused with the weight of personal histories, collective struggles, and quiet resilience.

Navigating the divides of caste, class, and privilege, the research process has been marked by deeply personal moments of resonance related to issues of motherhood, the invisible labor of care, and the unraveling of patriarchal norms; it has also served as an inspiration and learning opportunity as I observe these women forming collectives to support each other. Many women have selflessly shared their worlds with me. Thus, in my act of representation, it becomes a responsibility to hold their stories with care and respect. How do I acknowledge this grassroots knowledge? Whose stories are they to tell, and how can I ensure that my role as a researcher does not extract but honors?

In this paper, I reflect on the embodied nature of this fieldwork—the physicality, the emotional entanglements, and the ethical challenges that arise from representing these women’s lived experiences. It is an exploration of how we, as researchers, walk the line between witnessing and storytelling, laboring to ensure that their voices are heard and their journeys remembered, not erased.