Visual research methods
some reflections
Jo Vearey PhD
jovearey@gmail.com
#artsmethods
Today
1. Context
– Social justice
2. Approach: development, implementation, dissemination
– Involved methods?
3. Ethics
– Why does the visual “make visible” existing concerns re.
methods and processes?
visualising methodological and ethical
concerns
The power of the orange sea
By Kagee
http://methodsvisualexplore.tumblr.com/post/14699802
7239/read-the-rest-of-issue-10
Context
• identity, representations, power,
agency
• mobilities
• work: productive, reproductive
• determinants of health
• structural and direct violence
• inequalities and inequities
• social justice and social change
• dual imperative
• research translation
0.74
0.67
0.72
0.75
0.74
0.75
0.73
0.72 0.72
0.62
0.64
0.66
0.68
0.7
0.72
0.74
0.76
Bloem
fontein
C
apeTown
D
urbanEastLondon
EastR
andJohannesburg
Pieterm
aritzburgPortElizabeth
Pretoria
Ginicoefficient
Gini coefficient in selected South African cities
(Figure adapted from UN-HABITAT, 2008: 72)
Approach
• power, reflexivity
• involvement, participation,
collaboration, partnerships
• process and outputs
• dissemination
• endpoints and onward prompts
• advocacy and awareness
• evolving, iterative, grounded
Ethics
• University Research Ethics Committees
(RECs)
• consent, confidentiality, anonymity,
archiving, ownership, dissemination© Monica Mabasa, 2010
© Iketleng, 2010
Research interests
• identity, representations,
power, agency
• mobilities
• work: productive, reproductive
• determinants of health
• structural and direct violence
• inequalities and inequities
• social justice and social change
• research translation
Ethics
• University Research Ethics Committees
(RECs)
• consent, confidentiality, anonymity,
archiving, ownership
Knowledge production
and methodology
• power, reflexivity
• involvement, participation,
collaboration, partnerships
• process and outputs
• endpoints and onward prompts
• advocacy and awarenes
• evolving, iterative, grounded
www.migration.org.za/move
https://www.facebook.com/t
hemoveprojectsouthafrica
Process, artifacts, data
http://makaylalewis.co.uk/2015/09/18/sketchnotes-4th-international-visual-methods-conference-2015/
What is it about “the visual” that is allowing us / forcing us
to have these discussions?
– Are we reinforcing the idea / suggesting that there is
something “special” about “the visual”?
– What is “special” about “the visual”? Anything?
Why are these discussions not taking place in “other”
spaces?
– What should we do to be changing this?
– Within and outside “the academy”
The visual makes “it”* visible.
* I don’t know what “it” is
Research methods?
[what is appropriate v’s popular]
Partnerships; collaboration
Participatory?
(re)presentation?
What constitutes knowledge?
– Whose knowledge?
– How is knowledge
constructed?
ethics
methods
knowledge
production
power
politics of
knowledge
time
funding
precarity
What is data? [process? output? artefact?
engagement?]
• Who owns data?
• Does data have an impact?
Dissemination and sharing
• What is research translation?
• What should be communicated?
• How to communicate?
• Advocacy?
Who benefits?
involvement
Iketleng
Monica
Mombassa
Sku
Lety
Ana
Confidence
Mimi
Thembile
Thembi
Pinky
Shorty
http://workingthecity.wordpress.com/
City of Gold
by TG Diva
from Izwi Lethu Issue 3,
May 2015
http://methodsvisualexplore.tumblr.com/post
/121021771404/listen-to-izwi-lethu-feature-
writer-tg-diva-talk
https://weareallpoets2015.wordpress.com/
sex work in
South Africa
sex work in
South Africa
qualitative studies
exploring lived
experience
quantitative,
cross-sectional
survey
participant
observation in
policy processes
contribution to
policy
development
partnerships with sex
workers and civil
society movements at
multiple levels
engagement
with media
academic
writing co-writing with
sex work
participants
graduate
student
training
interactions
and work with
IGOs
www.migration.org.za/move
https://www.facebook.com/themoveprojectsouthafrica
http://methodsvisualexplore.tumblr.com/
http://issuu.com/move.methods.visual.explore
https://twitter.com/MoVESAfrica
@MoVESAfrica
Instagram: MoVESAfrica
jovearey@gmail.com
elsa.alexandra.oliveira@gmail.com
Thank you

Visual research methods : some reflections

Editor's Notes

  • #35 analyse visual methods and their popularity as a topic in itself. This allows us to address questions of epistemology, power, ethics and emancipation, all common but often unarticulated assumptions, in visual methods