During the course of this project, I found myself navigating two different worlds: the academic world, in which I attempted to frame and contextualise the movement of bodies within cultural spaces; and the personal world, in which I became intensely aware of how migration had inscribed itself into my own body. In the course of seeing and analysing the actions of other people, I found that I was invariably turning the lens inward. I came to the realisation that movement is a major method of navigating the intricacies of identity, space, and social belonging. The act of monitoring how bodies move, in the private arena, domestic space of the kitchen and in the public realms of streets and transportation, allowed me to see a more profound negotiation of cultural identity.

One of the most important aspects of this project has been the investigation of the ways in which cultural identity is thoroughly embodied. As a result of conducting interviews, making observations and engaging in introspection, I came to the understanding that even the tiniest and most seemingly unimportant actions, such as the manner in which a person sits, walks or cooks, contain within them the layered weight of cultural histories and personal experiences. These movements are ingrained in the environments that we navigate and the relationships that we maintain, and they frequently occur unconsciously. Through the movements of our body, we communicate who we are, where we come from, and how we have been molded by the environment that we have been surrounding ourselves in.

Migration, for me, was not merely a relocation to a new area, it was an embodied experience that transformed both my physique and my identity. I grew up in a family where the kitchen was not just a practical area but also a site of ritual. The movements that are connected with cooking, such as stirring curries, rolling rotis, and grinding masalas, were passed down from generation to generation and became embedded in my body. However, after coming to the UK, these gestures that were once commonplace became strange and nostalgic. Something as ordinary as preparing a meal became a subject of negotiation and adaptation because of the kitchen’s various utensils, food and layout. The kitchen felt foreign to me. The body goes through a bigger process of cultural negotiation when a person migrates, and this particular example, which is relatively tiny and personal, is symbolic of that larger process.

My participation in this project has also provided me with the opportunity to become familiar with the ways in which other people negotiate their own cultural identities through movement. When I was in public places, I discovered that some postures and gestures might convey a sense of belonging, while others can betray a sense of alienation. In some situations, persons from cultural backgrounds that were comparable to mine exhibited a certain familiarity in their actions. On the other hand, in other instances, individuals appeared to be intentionally navigating environments that were not totally their own, performing their identities with a heightened feeling of awareness. 

Movement serves as a sort of agency, and these insights have helped me get a greater knowledge of how movement functions in this capacity. Reclaiming space, establishing our identities, and navigating the intricacies of belonging are all accomplished through the motions that we make. From my own personal experience, migration has caused my body to be in a condition of perpetual flux, as if it were caught between two different universes. There were times when I felt empowered by this, as it provided me with a sense of agency; nevertheless, there were also times when I encountered feelings of loss, as I had the impression that aspects of myself were being lost or watered down as a result of the process of adaptation.

As I think more about this project, movement comes up as a metaphor for the shifting of identities, cultures, and spaces. The process of negotiation, adaptation, and resistance is ongoing throughout the entire process. The constant movement that we experience is the medium via which our sense of self is formed and reformed. I have come to realise that movement is not only a reflection of who we are, but it is also a strong means of establishing identity in a world that frequently wants to define or limit us. This is something that I have come to grasp.

The relevance of the settings we live in, the cultural contexts in which we are reared, and the manner in which we move through the world, even when we are not conscious of it, we carry the stamp of our history with us. Migration opened my eyes to the ways in which the cultural context of India has profoundly influenced my physical form in ways that I had never before given any thought to.

Therefore, this dissertation is not merely an academic investigation of cultural identity and movement; rather, it is a very personal contemplation on what it means to be a part of a body that is perpetually negotiating its position in the world. The topic at hand is the manner in which we carry our cultural history with us, frequently without being aware of it, and the manner in which these histories shape the motions that we execute on a daily basis.

Upon reaching the end of this, I find that I am left with a greater number of questions than answers. Migration, the construction of identities, and the negotiation of cultural norms are all dynamic processes that are never completely finished. Their manifestations are continual, taking place in the mind as well as the body. Despite the fact that this dissertation has provided me with the opportunity to investigate some of these intricacies, it is yet to be completed. There are still a great deal of things to learn, things to see, and things to contemplate.

Last but not least, this project has instilled in me the consciousness of the significance of paying attention to the particulars, which are the seemingly inconsequential, minute gestures that constitute the fabric of our everyday life, and I hope this website does the same for you.The weight of our cultural histories and identities can be discovered in these undetected gestures - they are the ones that carry the most significance. Movement is a strong form of communication, one that communicates who we are and where we come from, even when words fail us.

In the end, as I continue to travel throughout the world, I am reminded that this process is continuing and that it is constantly changing as I come into contact with different environments, cultures, and occasions.