Photovoice

Photovoice is a method mostly used in the field of community development, public health, and education which combines photography with grassroots social action. Participants are asked to represent their community or point of view by taking photographs, discussing them together, developing narratives to go with their photos, and conducting outreach or other action. It is often used among marginalized people, and is intended to give insight into how they conceptualize their circumstances and their hopes for the future. As a form of community consultation, photovoice attempts to bring the perspectives of those "who lead lives that are different from those traditionally in control of the means for imaging the world" into the policy-making process. It is also a response to issues raised over the authorship of representation of communities.

Contents

Background

Photovoice was developed by Caroline C. Wang of the University of Michigan, and Mary Ann Burris, research associate of the School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) at the University of London. In 1992, Wang and Burris created "Photo Novella," what is now known as Photovoice, as a way to enable rural women of Yunnan Province, China, to influence the policies and programs that affected them.[1] They report being strongly influenced by the efforts of Nina Wallerstein and Edward Bernstein who had adapted the ideas of Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed to health promotion and education.[2] It has since been used among homeless adults in Ann Arbor, Michigan and among community health workers and teachers in rural South Africa and by Dr. Claudia Mitchell et al., and with brain injury survivors by Dr. Laura S. Lorenz.[3] of the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University.

The concept owes a debt to Paulo Freire, to critical consciousness, feminist theory and empowerment.

Variants

Photovoice is considered a subtype of "participatory visual methods," also known as Picturevoice, which includes techniques such as photo-elicitation and digital storytelling that allow research participants to create visuals that capture their individual perspectives as part of the research process.[4][5] Two other forms of Picturevoice include Paintvoice, stemming from the work of Michael Yonas; and Comicvoice, which has been pioneered by John Baird's Create a Comic Project since 2008 and to a lesser extent Michael Bitz's Comic Book Project.[6][7]

References

  1. ^ Wang, C., & Burris, M. A. (1994). Empowerment through Photo Novella: Portraits of Participation. Health Education & Behavior, 21(2), 171-186. doi: 10.1177/109019819402100204
  2. ^ Wallerstein, N., & Bernstein, E. (1988). Empowerment Education: Freire's Ideas Adapted to Health Education. Health Education & Behavior, 15(4), 379-394. doi: 10.1177/109019818801500402
  3. ^ Lorenz, LS (2010). "Brain Injury Survivors: Narratives of Rehabilitation and Healing." Disability in Society, Ronald J. Berger, Series Editor. Boulder, CO and London: Lynne Rienner Publishers, Inc.
  4. ^ "Picturevoice: Health Communication Through Art." Presentation. Society for Public Health Education 60th Annual Meeting. Philadelphia, PA. November 6, 2009.
  5. ^ Lorenz, LS and B Kolb (2009). Involving the public through participatory visual research methods. Health Expectations, Volume 12, Issue 3, pp 262-274.
  6. ^ "Healthy Holidays: Lessons Learned from a Community Education Event." Presentation. American Public Health Association 137th Annual Meeting. Philadelphia, PA. November 11, 2009.
  7. ^ "Comicvoice: Community education through sequential art." Pop Culture Association - American Culture Association, St. Louis, MO. (2010)

External links