Abstract

This creative investigation revolves around A Love Song for Evie Rose, a semi-autobiographic travel narrative of multiple quests that are part of the same journey: finding a route from pain and illness to wellness; the search for social justice and healthy approaches to social activism; the search for identity and a place to belong; the need to find meaning in the past as well as the future; and the tracing of possible paths to healing the world and the environment, as well as the individual. The investigation of the connection between learning and health is central to this inquiry which comprises a profound reflection on pedagogies of love in both formal and informal education. Excerpted from a longer novel, You Say You Want a Revolution (whose writing was part of the research methodology), the story spans two generations and moves back and forth between several countries and three continents, capturing the political zeitgeist and history of over three decades from the late sixties to the present. The story of a woman's chronic pain and search for healing is shown against a backdrop of popular culture (especially music) and political unrest that mirrors and often shapes her journey. A series of critical scholarly reflections punctuates, accents, and analyses the series of snapshots and soundbytes that form the narrative, highlighting the intersection and the relationships between personal, social, and political change. The narrative and the accompanying reflections raise and re-frame current theoretical questions about health, education, individual and social change, and identities.