Arts-Based Research and the Discourse of Danger

Abstract

This study examines an archive of peer-reviewed articles in which physical, financial, and psychological harm were used metaphorically as source material to elaborate on more literal concerns about arts-based research. We examined the ways metaphoric language shapes our notions of arts-based research by asking: What social conditions are enabled by the prevalence of danger discourse in relation to arts-based research? We explored common metaphorical themes including exploration, landscape, and warfare. Three categories of metaphor are discussed: danger as a cautioning agent or direct danger; reversals of danger or metaphors that frame danger as desirable; and danger that involves the loss of legitimacy. Metaphorical danger discourse serves a number of functions: reproducing cultural norms, promoting caution, encouraging risk taking, revealing networks of institutional power, and polarizing debate. This article ends with a discussion of the implications of the use of metaphorical danger discourse in the field of art education.