Mercedes Weeks 

My research interests include how the mundanities of everyday life might function as powerful sites of identity, care, and belonging in childhood. Particularly interested in foregrounding the rich, meaningful everyday lives of disabled children in our community, I am committed to non-extractive research that takes ethical commitments and ongoing renegotiations seriously. My recent work has been truly interdisciplinary, turning to the “mess” on the floor after play to reconceive the archive in early childhood. Drawing on feminist posthumanism, feminist new materialism, critical childhood studies, and critical archival studies, I problematize conventional early childhood and archival practices while offering an alternative way to engage the archive in community early childhood spaces.

I was drawn to SOPR by its truly interdisciplinary approach to inquiry, commitments to non-extractive practices, and grounded focus on community. It is an honour to join this program and to work alongside others seeking to make positive transformative changes in our shared world.

I am a Registered Early Childhood Educator, mother of two young children, and Artist. I hold an Honours Bachelor of Early Childhood Leadership (Sheridan) and a Master of Arts in Early Childhood Studies (Toronto Metropolitan University). I am called to nature and can often be found outside.