Researcher as curator: Making room for the politics of emotion in leisure research

Abstract

ABSTRACT In this research note, we ask: What would it look like if researchers thought of themselves as ‘curators’ when analysing and presenting their work? What might that role shift produce? Thinking of oneself as ‘curator’ rather than ‘researcher’ fundamentally shifts the way one thinks and does data analysis and representation. We share our experiences thinking through this lens and propose that thinking of ‘researcher as curator’ is one way to guide researchers through data analysis and representation in a manner that embraces the ‘emotional turn’ (Lemmings & Brooks, 2014). This ‘role-framing’ can provide some direction for those using Creative Analytic Practice (CAP; Parry & Johnson, 2007) or arts-based methodologies in their work. But, importantly, we posit that ‘researcher as curator’ can also be useful in qualitative work that does not necessarily employ either CAP or arts-based research, but seeks to engage the emotions of leisure research.