New Lines of Inquiry: Arts-based Research for Bridging Cultures

This paper explores the implications for arts-based research (ABR) methods in fostering cross-cultural dialogue in international study. It reviews the academic arguments for and against the use of arts-based methodologies in qualitative research where more traditional, methodologies in the social sciences are combined with creative inquiry – narrative, poetic, dance, and visual forms of inquiry, for example – as well as the technical challenges and benefits associated with drawing on the humanities and arts as primary modes of inquiry; it explores the relevance and potential for ABR within the broader context of the study and use of the arts and humanities in cross-cultural contexts. While ABR methodologies have yet to attain wide-spread currency within the framework of conventional social science research, the author proposes that the unique characteristics of arts-based methodologies -- articulated in a number of recent publications on the topic -- are particularly relevant for researchers in cross-cultural contexts and represent an important avenue of development for international education. She proposes that the language of creative expression drawn from the arts and humanities and the technical aspects of methodologies employing creative inquiry facilitate both cognitive and cross-cultural competencies for students that have critical implications for study abroad. Examples of student independent study projects and their reflections on methodology, process, and output are presented for discussion