18. Antarctic mosaic

Different methods use different metaphors, and the way we write can reflect our underlying philosophical assumptions, positionalities, and values. To mix methods, it follows, is also in a very tangible sense to mix metaphors. In this chapter, we use the metaphor of a mosaic, as well as several others, to help us reflect on our experiences of working together on a decade-long historical research project about the McMurdo Dry Valleys Long Term Ecological Research site in East Antarctica. We describe our process of ‘going with the flow’, using whichever methods we thought might help produce insights. We also describe the challenges and benefits of collaboratively writing together and offer several practical takeaways that may be useful for others conducting interdisciplinary mixed-methods research.