The Exquisite Corpse as A/r/t: Bodied Troublings of Qualitative Research-as-Usual

Research is defined by the National Science Foundation (1991) as “a systematic investigation, including research development, testing and evaluation, designed to develop or contribute to generalizable knowledge” (p. 3). In this article, two a/r/tographers draw upon the metaphor of the Exquisite Corpse to theorize how they experience troubled responses to calls for such research. Concepts of qualitative research-as-usual are explored through the discomposure of three common elements of qualitative research: practices that dichotomize researcher/researched, the development of the research site, and the pursuit of clarity in research writing.