Photovoice As a Transformative Approach in Social Justice Research

Photography is increasingly being used as a way to illustrate the social and economic worlds of socio-economically marginalized communities. As an empowerment and advocacy tool, photovoice uses photographs and accompanying text to. bring the communities together and providing a safe platform to share their experiences. As members of often silenced communities, photovoice can be used to portray their experience and surface their realities. Photovoice is a participatory action research method that provides participants with an opportunity to critically reflect upon intersectional oppression and structural barriers that contribute to their social-economic vulnerability. Participants use these photographs and captions to engage in critical analysis of the meanings and social conditions they represent. Engaging in critical thinking through writing/narratives expands both individual and group awareness of the social causes underlying the issues or assets.

The goal of this workshop is to help participants understanding of photovoice and its applications in social justice research and community practice through engaging in a small group work. This workshop will begin with a brief introduction/context of photovoice including the principles philosophies and the process of photovoice in justice studies. Using case examples, the facilitators will describe how participants engage in the process of photovoice, ranging from the issue identifications to advocacy practice, and the process are: (I) identifying and defining issues; (II) contextualizing; (III) selecting photographs; and (IV) codifying. In addition, participants will be introduced the ‘SHOWeD’ technique that allows audience to respond to the following questions: (I) What do you See here? (II) What’s really Happening here? (III) How does this relate to Our lives? (IV) Why does this problem or asset exist? (V) What can we Do about it?). Subsequently, members of the audiences will be invited to work in a small group breakout session using the SHOWed approach. Then each group will be invited to share their group work with the larger group. The workshop will conclude with question and answer and debrief sessions.