Rambling with(in) the Wairarapa: Revisioning arcadia through affective creativity

Rambling with human and non‐human beings with(in) the Wairarapa for my doctoral fieldwork was both affecting and creative. This paper recounts that period and contends that, on reflection, an affective creativity helped me to address my central thesis argument, which is broadly about revisioning arcadia. From a New Zealand perspective, arcadia is usually framed as a picturesque rural paradise, often illustrated with peaceful grazing stock, lush green grass and snow‐tipped mountains. However, even though this view of arcadia appears simple, the visions and ideologies of New Zealand arcadianism are actually complicated narratives that are underpinned by hyper‐masculinity and white human‐centrism. Thus, my fieldwork intended to interrogate these ideas by carrying out research alongside ten Pākehā women who lived on the land in the Wairarapa. Theoretically infused with the more‐than‐human feminism of Val Plumwood, the notions of affect and the reflections of Donna Haraway, I designed an interview process that emphasised embodiment, sensuality and meaning by using a blend of sit‐down interviewing, ethnographic ventures, and photography. Driven by the philosophical tenets of feminism and more‐than‐human perspectives, I found that producing the idea of affective creativity intersected these theoretical strands rather fruitfully. This journey has not been without its problems though and I have needed to draw on multiple creative avenues outside of Geography so as to respect the more‐than‐human presences and participants’ voices within this project. Thus, this paper contributes to the field of Geography by contending that the use of affective creativity is an interesting way of expressing and intersecting more‐than‐human and feminist geographies.