The Deaf Presence of the Body: Embodied Narratives in ArtsBased Research

Abstract

This article explores the methodological challenges of conducting research with communities that do not use oral or verbal languages, such as deaf people, who are often excluded from traditional qualitative research approaches, which prioritize verbalization as the main form of expression and knowledge validation. The authors presents the Bodymap Storytelling technique in the interstice between arts-based research (ABR) and research-creation as a tool that enables deaf people to narrate their experiences and overcome communication barriers. The article concludes that ABR fosters the participation of historically excluded populations on their own terms and conditions by questioning hegemonic frameworks of knowledge production