Helen Johnson explores the development of a new method, in which social scientists, artists and community partners work together as research partners. The intention is to produce art-as-research, which is engaging, accessible, meaningful, and rooted in the interests of the communities it represents.

Helen began developing this method in Montreal this summer, with a group of young spoken word poets. Working together intensively for two months as co-researchers, they produced a series of autobiographical poems (autoethnographies,) focussing on issues related to discrimination. These pieces were grounded in three sites of expertise: social scientific theory and research; spoken word writing and performance; and co-researchers’ personal experiences.They distributed their poems through a chapbook, spoken word show and video materials. This enabled them to step outside the strictures of academia, reaching a broader audience than traditional research outputs allow. This talk considers both the spoken word pilot study and the broader method they developed. In the process it will showcase some of the poetry that was created, explore potential applications and extensions of the method, and consider how the method can be applied in practice.

Please click here for more information about the pilot study.