A systematic review of Spanish-speaking a/r/tography

Abstract

A/r/tography, a methodological proposal introduced in 2003 by Rita Irwin, is grounded in the balanced integration of the roles of artist, researcher, and teacher. It is supported by embodied thinking and situated practice, and is articulated through dimensions such as the contiguity between art and writing, living inquiry, and metaphor, thereby generating situated and transformative knowledge. The aim of this article is to analyze the current landscape of a/r/tography within the Spanish-speaking context, identifying trends, challenges, and distinctive features that define its development and consolidation as an arts-based educational research methodology. The methodology employed consists of a systematic literature review focused on publications indexed in Dialnet up to February 2025. The corpus includes articles, book chapters, books, and doctoral dissertations written in Spanish that employ a/r/tography as either a methodological or conceptual framework. Among the findings, 160 publications were identified, with a predominance of journal articles and book chapters, indicating that a/r/tography remains in a process of consolidation. The University of Granada emerges as the principal center of development, accounting for more than half of the doctoral dissertations. Thematically, a/r/tography is primarily associated with art education, although a diversification toward other disciplines is evident, along with a growing orientation toward social and place-based projects. The article concludes by outlining future challenges, including institutional diversification, the expansion of publication formats, and the strengthening of its social and transformative dimension, as well as the need to broaden its presence across disciplinary fields, foster academic networks, and explore new narratives and dissemination media in order to consolidate its identity and research potential.