Hot-Spots,Diffractions,and Interstellar Poetry: Self-Directed Violence Research Meets Postqualitative Inquiry

Abstract

Seldom is self-directed violence, whether suicidal or nonsuicidal, explored in postqualitative and arts-based ways that eschew binary thinking (e.g., safe/unsafe, researcher/researched). This article explores self-directed violence as part of a dynamic assemblage that includes myriad subjectivities, social discourses, materialities, theory, and data from various spaces—including Reddit. Drawing from MacLure’s notion of “hot-spots” and from poetic inquiry, we selected hot-spots from the research process and rendered them into a version of found poetry we call Interstellar Diffraction Poems. These poems invite readers to encounter open-ended themes including (1) unconventional understandings of a “glimmer” for people experiencing self-directed violence, (2) uncertainty about what helps and what harms, (3) navigating personal boundaries while still showing up for difficult conversations, and (4) the power of the word and. We end with a discussion of how this inquiry might decenter dominant realities of self-directed violence and open space for those that have been shrouded.

Keywords

self-directed violence postqualitative inquiry poetic inquiry safety agency diffraction

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