This article discusses two distinct forms of resymbolization within an arts-informed research process. The particular research outlined herein involves the work of a group of women, including the author as participant-researcher, who investigated difficult experiences in teaching through writing, and who responded to one another’s stories through the use of various artistic media including paint, crayons, modeling clay, fabric, and blocks. The group’s over-arching purpose was to problematize the taken-for-granted ways that they had interpreted such experiences. The two distinct forms of resymbolization outlined in this paper occurred, in the first instance, during the work of the group, and in the second instance, during the author’s process of writing about the research. Through this paper, the author also works toward providing a theoretical framework that demonstrates why resymbolization is a crucial component of this arts-informed process. In doing so, the author draws on the work of feminist philosopher Luce Irigaray.
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