An Autoethnographic Approach to Cultivating a Sense of Belonging in the Niagara Region: Weaving Place through Intersecting Historical and Cultural Threads

The way individuals belong and develop a sense of self in the world is grounded in the history and culture of their community. Belonging is also determined by the social construct we have depending on where we are in the world. This determines how the individual moves through their world, which I reflect upon by confronting my own perspectives of my cultural beliefs, practices, and experiences. By understanding the foundation of these perspectives, I deepen my analysis of belonging through theories and concepts of sense of self and sense of place. Following an autoethnographic approach, I address my sense of belonging in place through acceptance within a community, connection to the land, and understanding place attachment in physical and social spaces from emotional and symbolic belongings. I embed my story of childhood experiences into my adulthood within the culture, politics, and society of the Niagara Region. I cultivate sense of belonging further by including art as a way to express my ecological and ontological connection to the environment, and as a means to ground myself through contemplation and metaphor. My art, therefore, is embedded throughout as a collection of photographs and paintings to situate myself in historical places that are foundational to my belonging in Niagara as I weave together the tapestry of who I’ve become.