“But a room is not a house and a house is not a home.”
Luther Vandross, A House Is Not A Home, 1981
“When I think of Home/I think of place/Where there’s love overflowing I wish I was home I wish I was back there/ With the thing i’ve been knowing”
Stephanie Mills, Home, The Wiz, 1974
Introduction
“There’s No Place Like Home”, for some, this old adage may be a nostalgic cliche, for others, it may be reminiscent of their favorite film and stageplay, The Wiz. But for us, this statement is a clarion call for professors like ourselves whose heart-filled, people-centered research labs are like a second home for their student scholars. Our multi-generational, multi-cultural, and interdisciplinary research labs represent the future of what research homes can be if a remodeling and reconstruction occur. In this brief reflection, we introduce the metaphor of home and situate its rooms as a space where our student-scholars live, grow, and connect. To create a research home, one must construct with intention in the foundation, framework, and design (Winfield, Mushtarian & Jordan, 2025).
Our Research Homes
The Storytellers Lab at LSU was constructed in January 2022. The goal of the lab was to co-create a space where artist-scholars who don’t always fit so neatly into traditional research modes could birth research projects that line dance with creativity and theory. The Evans Lab, housed in the Department of Psychology, was created in Fall 2023, and since then has aimed to center the community in every project by building reciprocal, respectful partnerships which emphasize collaboration with the community over data mining. The two labs have since collaborated on multiple projects in the US Deep South that harmonize with lived experiences, theories, and interventions.
Front Porches & Open Doors
Across the southern United States, front porches serve as a gathering space, a communal area where behavior is not restricted by the house rules but rather a space where individuals are free to use their outside voices, laugh loudly, and fully express themselves. The front porch is open to familiar faces and strangers alike. Unlike in home visits, stopping by unannounced when seeing someone on the front porch is a welcomed occurrence.
In the same way that sitting or swinging on the front porch serves as an invitation, so does an open door in a research space. When students see my door slightly ajar, they take the opportunity to stop in to give me a quick update on their data analysis or get some advice on applying to graduate school. These impromptu meetings offer students the opportunity to get quick feedback and guidance on issues without the formality of sending an email or scheduling a meeting.
These spaces, both open doors and front porches, help to facilitate relationships, build rapport, and provide support. Similarly to pulling up and seeing someone on the porch feels much differently than arriving and ringing the doorbell, stopping by to ask a question provides the student with a different experience as well. Both remove anxiety around the process.
Living Room
The living room represents family gatherings, friendly socials, and the making and remaking of relationships and rest. For our labs, the living room is represented each time we gather for a meeting, data collection, or data analysis. We bring all of who we are; our cultures, beliefs, values, history, and knowledge to the space. On many occasions, our living room and heartfelt conversations occur when we travel to collect data. Our van rides have ranged between 30 minutes up the road to 12 hours across the states, building relationships around the rest and comfort we find in each others’ presence.
Kitchen Tables
Kitchen tables are a place where individuals are nourished. Whether that is through the food being served or the conversations being had, individuals often leave the table full. Full from the meal made possible by all of the individual contributions, including ingredients, homemade dishes, and time. Full from the laughter shared with friends and family, full from the insights shared by the elders, or full from the warmth of the love seeing everyone at one table. Never depleted, never erased, never invisible, never starved, never lacking.
Students are nourished in a similar fashion in research homes, contributing to projects by assisting in data collection, conducting literature reviews, and cleaning data. Each task necessary to the completion of the project and its success. When the conference presentation goes well or the article is finally published, they are able to see how their individual contributions aided in the development of the final product, leaving them full with a sense of accomplishment.
Bedroom, Bathroom & Cleansing of Traditional Confines
The bathroom is the room in the house where we go to both wash away the day but also where we prepare to take on the world. Within this room we can take a respite by soaking in the tub, taking a minute to unwind and release the stressors of the day. In that same room is where we get ready to conquer the day, preparing our physical and spiritual body to be presentable to the outside world.
It is a space where we can reflect and release the tensions of the academic world.
In that same light, it is also the dressing up room for our student scholars. It is the safe space where they become comfortable with their scholarly identity – putting on and taking off what does not fit us. A place to refine, redefine, and sharpen. They are able to bounce ideas around, practice presentations, and ask questions in preparation for venturing out into academia.
Conclusion: The Neighborhood & Legacy
As we think about our individual research houses, we must also consider how we can support each other. As interdisciplinary scholars, our work is reflective of the inclusion of many schools of thought. As practitioners, we should bridge that spirit of inclusion to our collaborations much like our opening song renders.
REFERENCES
Winfield, A., Mushtarin, N., & Jordan, J. (2025). Love and Tradition of the Grand Design: Exploring Culturally Responsive Qualitative Methods With Intergenerational and Intercultural Teams and Participants. Qualitative Health Research, 35(4-5), 491-505.
