The body may be seen as: the smallest unit of geography upon which may be inscribed power and resistance (Camp (2002) J. Southern Hist. 68); a map of meaning and power (Simonsen (2000) TIBG 25); or a cultural representation of masculinity or femininity (R. Ainly 1998). It is also a form of reference by which supposedly ‘disembodied’ dominant cultures designate certain groups—the elderly, ethnic minorities, females, the obese, the disabled, and so on—as other (N. Duncan 1996; A. Blunt and G. Rose 1994; and S. Pile and N. Thrift (1995). The figure of the body can be a metaphor for understanding socio-spatial relations in contemporary culture (Dyck and O’Brien (2003) Canad. Geogr./Géog. canad. 47, 4). Sexed bodies can create spaces, as in a gay pride parade (Johnston (2001) Annal. Tour. Res. 28, 1). The notion of the raced body tied to the land ‘is not novel, having been used to discredit urban Aboriginals, claiming that once they leave the land, they cease to be Aboriginal’ (Wazana (2004) Refuge 01–03–2004). Every researcher is situated in her or his own body—embodied.