The Politics of Research Methodology (in a time of AI)

A deep dive into the philosophical, theoretical and political issues in research methodology, with a focus on the emergence of Artificial Intelligence in research processes, and on the advent of Arts-Based Methods in research.

Format: Online

Duration: 8 weeks

Mode of instruction: Combination of lectures, discussion sessions and practical execises

Dates: 11th June 2026 to 30th July 2026

Language of instruction: English

Application deadline: 5 pm IST, 25th May 2026

Course Overview

Artificial Intelligence is seemingly becoming indispensable in research processes. This is happening through a series of seductions (convenience, the hi-tech aesthetic, the sense of the machine being able to synthesise so much more than humanly possible...) and the imperatives being generated by an increasingly bureaucratised industry of knowledge production. Teachers and students are today being required to learn how to most effectively use AI, leading to the hilarious simulacrum where both essay writing and assessment are carried out by Chatgeeps, with nae a human endeavour beyond the clever prompt. AI, in the form of Large Language Models and more specialised data analysis software, are now routinely not simply used, but required to be used in every stage of social research, from formulation of the research question, the background literature review, the development of research tools, the analysis, the designing of the final knowledge product. And then of course circulation, accessibility and visibility being all mediated by algorithms. But how is knowledge itself being reimagined in this brave new world?

At the same time that we see the advent of Arts-Based Methods of Research as a movement in research ecologies. Using the arts - theatre, film and a range of expressive practices, this movement marks a shift in theoretical assumptions, centring human experience, the body and its expressions, and those things about phenomena that either escape or resist articulation in words. This movement, as well, seeks to re-imagine knowledge and the knowledge form, and has the potential to address the historical and material asymmetries in knowledge production and reimagine the means of production itself. It is, at its fullest, an innovation in methodology rather than simply a set of methods added to a participatory toolkit.

These two seemingly contradictory emergences are the prompt for the course on the politics of research methodology. We look both at the implications of AI in research processes, and lay out the philosophical and theoretical foundations for an emphasis on Arts-Based Methods.

Structure of the course

The course is structured around six sections:

“What is knowledge?”: Here we trace key philosophical responses to this question and how ideas of knowledge have been conceptualised over time. What kind of thing is knowledge? A set of beliefs? A relationship between things in the world and how we know them? A social practice? Is it something that is embodied? Using a concrete example, we ask what it means to consider knowledge as 'produced', looking at the materiality of its production.

Research Methodology as a political field: Here we engage the truism that there is no such thing as neutral knowledge, that all knowledge is mediated by materiality, history and idiom. We focus on research methodology as a political field, examining how structures of power shape methods and how coloniality, race, caste, gender and language materialise in research practices today.

Artificial Intelligence and knowledge: Here we revisit the debates around the question “can machines think?” and look at how large language models actually function. We ask whether what AI tools like ChatGPT, Gemini etc. produce can be considered “knowledge” and explore the material relationship between technology and knowledge. We look at the materiality of the relationship between technology and knowledge, going beyond the question of 'inclusion' through diversity in machine learning processes to something more fundamental - the occlusion of experience and the body from the field of knowledge.

Embodiment and knowledge: What does it mean to centre embodiment in research methods? This includes not just the bodies, their expression and meaning of those 'being studied', but equally of the researcher. Drawing on phenomenology and a range of methods that do away with the distinction between the researcher and its field, we introduce theatre as a method.

The history and philosophical foundations of Arts-Based methods in research: Here we recount the experiments in research methods that precede the advent of Arts-Based Methods as a consolidated approach. In particular we look at the engagement of Anthropology with the Surrealist movement, ethnographic film, theatre of the oppressed and creative and embodied writing. We draw from these what might be considered the philosophical and theoretical foundations of the approach.

Arts-Based Methods meets AI: In the final section of the course we interactions and (in)commensurabilities of Arts-based Methods and Artificial Intelligence, to grasp at what is at stake for how research is carried out today. What strategies and priorities might politically informed research practice generate in this context?

Main learning outcomes

Get a firm grasp of philosophical, theoretical and political debates around knowledge, research methodology and questions of power therein.

Gain a critical understanding of AI in research practice - how LLMs work, and the political, ethical, epistemic and material implications of their ascendence.

Understand the philosophical and theoretical foundations of Arts-Based Methods of Research and apply these to your own research practice.

Situate Research Methodology within structures of power and impact by critically evaluating how they are shaped by histories of coloniality, caste, race, gender and sexuality.

Collectively think through priorities and strategies for research practice that is cognisant of the implications and the potential of Arts-Based Methods and AI.

Fee Structure

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Applicants with institutional support (global south): INR 25,000

Applicants with institutional support in the (global north): USD 350

Those without institutional support in the global south: INR 15,000

Those without institutional support in the global north: USD 250

Discounted student price (global south): INR 7,500

Discounted student price (global north): USD 150

We also offer a fee waiver for 20% of the cohort. More details in the application form.

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