Alana Brekelmans is a researcher, writer, and facilitator exploring the connections between bodies, emotions, and environments.
Inspired by both ancient wisdom and cutting-edge research, Alana's work blends social science, relational practices, embodied therapies, and fine art to consider the diverse ways people relate with each other and the world.
Introducing Alana Brekelmans
Alana's eclectic experiences—from Buddhist meditation to outback cattle mustering, from nude performance art to learning from Indigenous Elders—inform her unique approach to scholarship and practice. Whether she's leading workshops on somatic writing, mentoring students in environmental anthropology, or conducting ethnographic research on affective political ecology, her work is informed by principles of creativity, collaboration, and care.
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Areas of Expertise
01.
Non-representational Theory & Affect Studies
Examining how emotions, the senses, atmospheres, feeling, rhythms, patterns, and embodied experiences interact to shape everyday politics, materialities, relationships.
'Affect' means the capacity to affect and be affected by the world around us, and 'non-representational' means that which often eludes simple description. So, it's all about the vibes.
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02.
Political Ecology & Environmental Studies
Analysing how power structures influence human-environment interactions.
Alana specifically works in rural and remote areas, exploring unique socio-environmental challenges and opportunities in non-urban areas.
03.
Feminist & Postcolonial Philosophies of Science
Investigating diverse knowledge practices, particularly in postcolonial contexts.
This means considering what knowledge looks like outside of dominant institutions, and honouring diverse forms of felt, embodied, and environmental knowledge alongside mainstream science.
04.
Embodied and Relational Practices
Thinking about connections within and across bodies (both human and more-than-human) and the world. A relational approach asks how collective wellbeing, health, and liberation might be seen as entangled across species and forms.
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Emotion. Embodiment. Environment.
