Abstract
In this paper, I reflect on art, often perceived as imprecise and elusive when compared to science, as a theoretical framework in its own right, as a way of thinking and philosophizing, which stays close to, to paraphrase the philosopher Stanley Cavell, our “relationship to things as they are.” I do this in three steps. First, I present data from an ethnographic fieldwork on family perspectives on the obesity epidemic; then I will introduce my use of the novel The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides and drawings by the Australian-based artist Maria Speyer. I end with some reflections on art as a mode of relating to ethnographic data, which is very useful in phenomenological-oriented research.
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Grøn, L. (2018). The Wonder of Things as They Are: Theorizing Obesity and Family Life with Art. In: Wegener, C., Meier, N., Maslo, E. (eds) Cultivating Creativity in Methodology and Research. Palgrave Studies in Creativity and Culture. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-60216-5_2
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