Photovoice: Beyond Visual AnthropologyVirginia Li - Photovoice - 10 Nov 2008 Photovoice: Beyond...

Virginia Li Virginia Li -- Photovoice Photovoice -- 10 Nov 200810 Nov 2008

PhotovoicePhotovoice: Beyond : Beyond Visual Anthropology Visual Anthropology

Caroline Wang, Caroline Wang, DrPHDrPH, Program Director, Program DirectorPublic Health Institute, Berkley, California Public Health Institute, Berkley, California

USAUSAAnd And

Virginia C. Li, Virginia C. Li, PhdPhd, MPH, MPHProfessor of Community Health SciencesProfessor of Community Health Sciences

University of California School of Public HealthUniversity of California School of Public HealthLos Angeles, CA. USALos Angeles, CA. USA


PhotovoicePhotovoice is a research tool that integrates key is a research tool that integrates key principles of communityprinciples of community--based research. The based research. The

partnership intends to:partnership intends to:

recognize the community as a unit of identity recognize the community as a unit of identity build on strengths and resources within the community build on strengths and resources within the community facilitate collaborative partnerships in all phases of the facilitate collaborative partnerships in all phases of the research research integrate knowledge and action for mutual benefit of all integrate knowledge and action for mutual benefit of all partnerspartnerspromote a copromote a co--learning and empowering process that learning and empowering process that facilitates the reciprocal transfer of knowledge, skills, facilitates the reciprocal transfer of knowledge, skills, capacity, and power capacity, and power address health from a model that emphasizes physical, address health from a model that emphasizes physical, mental, and social wellmental, and social well--being, and biomedical, social, being, and biomedical, social, economic, and cultural factors as health determinants economic, and cultural factors as health determinants engage policy makers to enhance change engage policy makers to enhance change


PhotovoicePhotovoice Is A Participatory MethodologyIs A Participatory Methodology

PhotovoicePhotovoice differsdiffers from documentary from documentary photography and visual anthropology in photography and visual anthropology in that the ultimate goal of that the ultimate goal of photovoicephotovoice is to is to promote grassroots expertise and action promote grassroots expertise and action with results with results


A critical element in the methodology is A critical element in the methodology is recruiting policy makers and leaders to:recruiting policy makers and leaders to:

serve as an audience at a forum where serve as an audience at a forum where participants findings; participants findings; engage in discussion with participants to engage in discussion with participants to brainstorm intervention strategies to address brainstorm intervention strategies to address identified needs; identified needs; work in collaboration with other influential work in collaboration with other influential players in developing interventions that address players in developing interventions that address identified needs; identified needs; use their power and influence to support the use their power and influence to support the implimplementation of these interventions.ementation of these interventions.


Training of participants focuses on Training of participants focuses on photovoicephotovoice concept and method:concept and method:

an overview of the project plan and structurean overview of the project plan and structurea discussion of cameras, ethics, and power; a discussion of cameras, ethics, and power; use of the camera in communityuse of the camera in community--based settingsbased settingsways of seeing photographs;ways of seeing photographs;a philosophy of giving photographs back to a philosophy of giving photographs back to community memberscommunity membershow photographs and narratives may be used to how photographs and narratives may be used to reach and inform policy makers reach and inform policy makers


Engage participants in a 3Engage participants in a 3--stage process of stage process of analysis based on Paulo analysis based on Paulo FreireFreire’’ss concept of concept of education to promote critical consciousnesseducation to promote critical consciousness

Stage 1Stage 1

SelectingSelecting Participants choose the Participants choose the photographs, and, by doing so, define the photographs, and, by doing so, define the course of discussion. course of discussion.



Stage 2Stage 2

ContextualizingContextualizing Participants will stories and define Participants will stories and define the meaning of their photographs during group the meaning of their photographs during group discussions to identify the problem or the asset, critically discussions to identify the problem or the asset, critically discuss the roots of the situation, and name ways to discuss the roots of the situation, and name ways to change the situation:change the situation:

–– What do you See here? What do you See here? –– WhatWhat’’s really Happening here? s really Happening here? –– How does this relate to Our lives? How does this relate to Our lives? –– Why does this Problem or this strength exist? Why does this Problem or this strength exist? –– What can we Do about this? What can we Do about this?



Stage 3Stage 3

CodifyingCodifying Participants identify the issues, Participants identify the issues, themes, or theories that emerge. themes, or theories that emerge. –– Audiotape group discussions to facilitate Audiotape group discussions to facilitate

documentation of participantsdocumentation of participants’’ stories, perspectives, stories, perspectives, and recommendations. and recommendations.

–– Participants write down their stories. Participants write down their stories. –– In this approach, the participants as potential In this approach, the participants as potential

interviewees become interviewees become narratorsnarrators..


WomenWomen’’s Reproductive Health and s Reproductive Health and Development Program Development Program ---- Yunnan, China Yunnan, China

62 village women representing over 50 natural villages 62 village women representing over 50 natural villages used used photovoicephotovoice to conduct a participatory needs to conduct a participatory needs assessmentassessmentUsed the visual image to document the communityUsed the visual image to document the community’’s s problems, concerns, and hopes problems, concerns, and hopes Demonstrated that community people have expertise Demonstrated that community people have expertise and insight regarding their own communities that and insight regarding their own communities that professionals and outsiders may lack. professionals and outsiders may lack. Communicate these issues with policy makers and Communicate these issues with policy makers and influenced policy decisions about important issues influenced policy decisions about important issues ----such as day care, midwifery, and girlssuch as day care, midwifery, and girls’’ education education ---- vital vital to womento women’’s health but otherwise invisible to male policy s health but otherwise invisible to male policy makers makers

Photovoice: Beyond Visual AnthropologyVirginia Li - Photovoice - 10 Nov 2008 Photovoice: Beyond...

Documents

Transcript of Photovoice: Beyond Visual AnthropologyVirginia Li - Photovoice - 10 Nov 2008 Photovoice: Beyond...