A thought-provoking exploration of arts based social research. Ideal for students, researchers, and practitioners, this unique book provides a framework for broadening the domain of qualitative inquiry in the social sciences by incorporating the arts as a means of better understanding -- and rethinking -- important social issues. In the book's 10 thought-provoking chapters, authors Tom Barone and Elliot W. Eisner -- pioneers in the field -- address key aspects of arts based research, including its purpose and fundamental ideas, controversies that surround the field and the politics and ethics involved, and key criteria for evaluation.