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Qualitative Research Methods in Interdisciplinary Arts Projects

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As a standalone set of methodologies and approaches, qualitative research imparts new and nuanced knowledge through people’s beliefs, experiences, behaviors and interactions. Under the premise that arts theory and practice are interwoven and interactive, this chapter highlights the ways that qualitative research methodologies can emphasize and enhance interdisciplinary arts projects. It provides an overview of possibilities for how researchers conducting interdisciplinary research with artistic and/or scholarly outcomes can benefit from incorporating elements of qualitative research in their projects. Specific examples illustrate the significant impact and meaning qualitative methods can imbue in research projects, including how they enhance collaboration; create opportunities for clarity, depth and trust to be developed among stakeholders; provide an ethical, rigorous standard from which to analyze and present work; and expand possibilities for creating new disciplinary knowledge through interdisciplinary principles.

Keywords: arts research ; dance research ; interdisciplinary ; interdisciplinary scholarship ; qualitative research

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References

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References

  1. Anderson, Paul V. (1996), ‘Pedagogical support for responsible conduct of research training’, The Hastings Center Report, 46:1, pp. 18–25.
     [Google Scholar]
  2. Augsburg, Tanya (2017), ‘Interdisciplinary arts’, in R. Frodeman (ed.), The Oxford Handbook of Interdisciplinarity, New York: Oxford University Press, pp. 131–43.
     [Google Scholar]
  3. Austin, J. L. (1975), How to Do Things with Words, Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
  4. Bannerman, Henrietta (2010), ‘Choreographers’ reflexive writing: A very special practice’, Forum for Modern Language Studies, 46:4, pp. 474–87.
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  5. Broadhurst, Susan and Machon, Josephine (2016), Sensualities/Textualities and Technologies: Writings of the Body in 21st Century Performance, New York: Springer.
  6. Butler, Judith (1988), ‘Performative acts and gender constitution: An essay in phenomenology and feminist theory’, Theatre Journal, 40:4, pp. 519–31.
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  7. Butterworth, Jo (2017), ‘Too many cooks? A framework for dance making and devising’, in J. Butterworth and L. Wildschut (eds), Contemporary Choreography: A Critical Reader, New York: Routledge, pp. 89–106.
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  8. Campbell, Tori (2020), ‘Artistic collaborations: Martha Graham and Isamu Noguchi’, Artland, https://magazine.artland.com/artistic-collaborations-martha-graham-isamu-noguchi/. Accessed June 28, 2023.
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  9. Choi, Bernard C. K. and Pak, Anita W. P. (2006), ‘Multidisciplinarity, interdisciplinarity, and transdisciplinarity in health research, services, education, and policy’, Clinical and Investigative Medicine, 29:6, pp. 351–64.
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  10. Copeland, Roger, Carroll, Noel, Fleischer, Mary, Garafola, Lynn and Rainer, Yvonne (2007), ‘Approaches to collaboration: Choreographers and visual artists’, in The Multidisciplinary Study of Imagination, Roundtable, New York, September 8.
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  11. Creswell, John W. (2017), Qualitative Inquiry & Research Design: Choosing Among the Five Approaches, 4th edition, Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
  12. Creswell, John W. and Creswell, J. David (2018), Research Design: Qualitative, Quantitative, and Mixed Methods Approaches, Los Angeles: Sage Publications.
  13. Davis, James W. 2009. ‘From cutting edge to cutting board: The Inter-Arts Center at San Francisco State University’, in T. Augsburg and S. Henry (eds), The Politics of Interdisciplinary Studies: Essays on Transformations in American Undergraduate Programs, Jefferson: McFarland, pp. 102–11.
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  14. Denzin, Norman K. and Lincoln, Yvonna S. (2011), The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research, Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
  15. Duffy, Ali, Gonzales, Isabella and Davidson, Destanie (2023), ‘Ethics, standards, evaluation, and support of creative research in academia’, in K. Schupp (ed.), Futures of Performance: The Responsibilities of Performing Arts in Higher Education, New York: Routledge.
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  16. Duffy, Ali B. and Beaty, Allison (2019), ‘Flexibility of artistic roles and shared ownership between dance educators and students in choreography and performance’, Research in Dance Education 20:2, pp. 130–47.
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  17. Green, Jill (2000), ‘Power, service, and reflexivity in a community dance project’, Research in Dance Education, 1:1, pp. 53–67.
     [Google Scholar]
  18. Groenewald, Thomas (2008), ‘Memos and memoing’, in L. M. Given (ed.), The Sage Encyclopedia of Qualitative Research Methods, Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
     [Google Scholar]
  19. Klein, Julie T. (1990), Interdisciplinarity: History, Theory, and Practice. Detroit: Wayne State University Press.
  20. Lerman, Liz (2023), ‘Critical Response Process’, https://lizlerman.com/critical-response-process/. Accessed July 10, 2023.
  21. Lerman, Liz and Borstel, John (2003), Critical Response Process: A Method for Getting Useful Feedback on Anything You Make, From Dance to Dessert, Takoma Park: Dance Exchange.
  22. McNiff, Shaun (2018), Using Art as Research in Learning and Teaching: Multidisciplinary Approaches across the Arts, Bristol: Intellect Books.
  23. Merriam, Sharon B. (2009), Qualitative Research: A Guide to Design and Implementation, San Francisco: John Wiley.
  24. MoMA Learning (2022), ‘Media and performance art: Expanded choreography’, https://www.moma.org/learn/moma_learning/themes/media-and-performance-art/dance-on-camera-expanded-choreography/. Accessed June 29, 2023.
  25. Newell, W. H. (1998), Interdisciplinarity: Essays from the Literature, New York: College Entrance Exam Board.
  26. Pakes, Anna (2017), ‘Knowing through dance-making: Choreography, practical knowledge, and practice-as-research’, in J. Butterworth and L. Wildschut (eds), Contemporary Choreography: A Critical Reader, New York: Routledge, pp. 11–24.
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  27. Pandemic Mama Project (2023a), https://www.pandemicmamaproject.com/. Accessed July 9, 2023.
  28. Pandemic Mama Project (2023b), ‘Pandemic Mama Film’, May, https://www.dropbox.com/s/tffulxjhih7wx29/Pandemic%20Mama_KTTZ_2_1.mp4?dl=0. Accessed July 9, 2023.
  29. Phelan, Peggy (1993), Unmarked: The Politics of Performance, New York: Routledge.
  30. Saldaña, Johnny (2021), The Coding Manual for Qualitative Researchers, Thousand Oaks: Sage Publishers.
  31. Shanks, Gwyneth (2017), ‘Choreographing interdisciplinarity: Efficiency and failure’, Sightlines, https://walkerart.org/magazine/choreographing-interdisciplinarity-efficiency-and-failure. Accessed June 30, 2023.
     [Google Scholar]
  32. Skains, R. Lyle (2018), ‘Creative practice as research: Discourse on methodology’, Journal of Media Practice and Education, 19:1, pp. 82–97.
     [Google Scholar]
  33. Stockton, Heather R. (2018), ‘Collaborative choreographic practices and the need for critical reflection: A choreo auto-ethnography’, Ph.D. diss., Oakland: Mills College.
  34. Taylor, Diana (2003), The Archive and the Repertoire: Performing Cultural Memory in the Americas, Durham, MA: Duke University Press.
  35. Tharp, Twyla (2009), The Creative Habit: Learn It and Use It for Life, New York: Simon & Schuster.
  36. Duffy, Ali (2025), ‘Qualitative research methods in interdisciplinary arts projects’, The Intellect Handbook of Dance Education Research, Bristol: Intellect, pp. 27–38.

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