Where I worked, where I lived: past research sites and data reanimation as poetic inquiry

Purpose This paper aimed to revisit materials from legacy research projects conducted earlier in my career at two different research locations, to give the data new life, reimagine it and offer new insights by presenting them through poetic inquiry. Design/methodology/approach This is achieved by drawing on the practices of data reanimation, as outlined by authors such as Thomson and McGeeney (2024) and Mills’s (1959) advice in the sociological imagination. In the paper, I summarise my general orientation and aims of the research process, outline the techniques used and consider some of the ethical issues raised by this approach. Findings The two research sites are outlined for context before offering five poems – Where I Worked, Shoe Machine Company, Da and Ma, Where I Lived: Standing Stones and The Stroke, all of which “re-voice” through poetry some of the original themes of the research, the respondents’ stories and my fieldwork experiences in a way that I have not previously considered. Originality/value The paper draws on original data from legacy datasets. It offers an alternative way to re-engage and conduct secondary analysis, amplifying the value of original respondent contributions rather than leaving them “silent” in the archive.