Topologies of Belonging in the Digital University (Gravett et al., 2023)

The article examines how students experience and enact belonging and non-belonging within the digital university. Drawing on empirical data from students in the UK and Australia, the authors demonstrate how belonging is a complex, fluid, and relational concept by mapping how it shows up. Students describe the materiality of belonging, curating specific spaces, objects, and sensations to create a sense of belonging. The data also reveals the topological multiplicity of belonging, with students experiencing belonging and non-belonging across different curricular, extracurricular, physical, and virtual spaces. Some students actively chose not to belong in certain spaces, highlighting the validity of non-belonging. The authors argue that theorizing belonging topologically can expand understanding, moving beyond simplistic notions of belonging as a fixed, measurable entity.

Gravett, K., Ajjawi, R., & O Shea, S. (2023). Topologies of belonging in the digital university. Pedagogy, Culture & Society, 0(0), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1080/14681366.2023.2256342