The Altavoces Project: A Digital Narrative Approach to Anti-Oppressive Social Work Research with Latinx Youth

Background and Purpose: There are many compelling reasons to use digital narrative methods in qualitative social work research and opportunities to employ them in ways that advance social work’s mission and values. While digital narrative methods lend themselves well to participatory, action-oriented inquiry, these relatively new methods also raise important questions about potential risks involved in using digital technologies to engage members of marginalized groups in social work research. This case study presents empirically-based promising practices for using digital narrative methods in anti-oppressive social work research (AOSWR) with members of marginalized groups.

Methods: This presentation describes and critically reflects on the AltaVoces Project - a participatory research project that implemented a digital narrative approach to AOSWR with Latino youth. This case study draws on field and process notes, analytic memos, reflexivity journal entries, and focus groups with participants to critically analyze how digital narrative research methods can be leveraged within the AOSWR paradigm.

Results: The AltaVoces project provides an empirical example of how digital narrative research may be implemented in an AOSWR framework, exposing several aspects of digital narrative research that might warrant specific attention. The results of this study describe and assess the project's alignment with AOSWR in 9 areas: goals, populations, methodologies, research environment, role of participants, researcher-participant relations, ownership of knowledge, knowledge-action relationship, and boundaries of research. Results highlight two promising practices for using digital narrative methods with marginalized groups in AOSWR: trauma-informed recording practices that protect participants from potential harm when discussing experiences of oppression, and careful consideration and explication of the rights and responsibilities associated with the production, storage, management, and dissemination of digital material.

Conclusions and Implications: This presentation is meant to serve as a springboard for continued exploration, critical debate, innovative ideas, and novel applications of digital narrative methods in social work research that aims to understand and abolish oppression. Attention to issues associated with recording and storing participants' digital narratives such as those raised here can help balance potential tensions between the research’s objective of producing quality digital research products for maximum public impact with the importance of conducting research in ways that help participants feel safe and empowered. Future research should continue to explore methodological and ethical issues associated with digital narrative methods to increase the evidence base and add to the set of promising practices presented here.