Photovoice

Photovoice is a qualitative research method used in community-based participatory research. It involves gathering photographs and narratives taken by community members, rather than outside researchers, with the goal of contributing to actionable knowledge derived from those members' observations.^[1][2] Photovoice is commonly used in fields such as community development, international development, public health, and education.^[3][4]

According to Wang and Burris,^[3] who developed the process, a photovoice project should aim to:

1. empower individuals to document and reflect on community assets and concerns;
2. invite critical dialogue and create knowledge about important community issues while using photographs as a medium for group discussion;
3. reach policymakers and stakeholders.^[3][5] Photos taken by participants serve as discussion tools and reference points, guiding conversations with researchers and other participants.^[6]

Unlike traditional interviews, photovoice does not rely solely on verbal communication. Because participants communicate through photographs, photovoice can be used to address communication barriers related to culture, language, or education level.^[7] Photovoice is adaptable for a wide variety of participants, regardless of factors like age, education level, language, gender, race, class, or disability.^[2]

In a photovoice study, participants are asked to express their points of view or represent their communities by photographing anything significant to them related to the research themes. Common research themes include community concerns, community assets, social issues, and public health barriers.^[3][8] These photographs are collaboratively interpreted through discussions, often in conjunction with narratives that explain how the photos highlight a particular research theme.^[9] These narratives facilitate dialogue aimed at mobilizing action and informing policymakers about community issues and needs, potentially contributing to the development of solutions and programs.^[9][10]

Background

Photovoice was developed in 1992 by Caroline C. Wang of the University of Michigan, and Mary Ann Burris, Program Officer for Women's Health at the Ford Foundation in Beijing, China.^[3] Its development was based on the idea that images and words can effectively express community and individual needs, problems, and desires.^[4] In addition, photovoice was influenced by documentary photography, the concept of empowerment, feminist theory, Paulo Freire's Pedagogy of the Oppressed promotion of health education and his idea of critical consciousness.^[11][12] Wang and Burris stated that "Freire noted that one means of enabling people to think critically about their community, and to begin discussing the everyday social and political forces that influence their lives, was the visual image ... Photovoice takes this concept one step further so that the images of the community are made by the people themselves."^[3]

Photovoice was first used with rural women in Yunnan Province, China, to influence the policies and programs affecting them.^[13][14] Since then, the method has been used in different settings and with various populations, such as by refugees in San Diego seeking in–person medical interpretation options, by homeless adults in Ann Arbor, Michigan, by Claudia Mitchell to support community health workers, and teachers in rural South Africa, and by Laura S. Lorenz of the Heller School for Social Policy and Management at Brandeis University in her work with brain injury survivors.^[15][12]

Modern implementation

Photovoice has been adopted by multiple disciplines and is often used with other community-based and participatory action research methods. It is a qualitative approach used to address sensitive and complex issues and allows individuals to share their perspectives.^[16] It is used to elicit and analyze data^[17] for knowledge dissemination and mobilization.^[18] The aim is to inform and support the creation of appropriate interventions and actions regarding complex problems, including health and well-being, social inequality, and socio-economic disparity.^[19] For example, the photovoice model has been used in higher education to teach social work students.^[20] Photovoice has also been used to engage children and youth, providing them with an environment and opportunity to communicate concerns and coping strategies to policymakers and service providers.^[21][14][12] Overall, photovoice is used to investigate participants' lived experiences concerning systemic structures and social power relations and to communicate these experiences through a non-verbal medium.^[7]

Variants

Also known as "participatory photography" or "photo novella", photovoice is considered a subtype of "participatory visual methods" or picturevoice and includes techniques such as photo-elicitation and digital storytelling. These techniques allow research participants to create visuals that capture their individual perspectives as part of the research process.^[22][23] An example is Project Lives, a participatory photography project used to create a new image of project housing dwellers, published in April 2015. Other related forms 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, as well as Michael Bitz's Comic Book Project (to a lesser extent).^[24][25]

International development

In international research, photovoice is used to allow participants from the developing world to define how they want to be represented to the worldwide community. Participants are given control to tell their stories and perspectives and maintain a sense of authorship over their representations.^[26] This helps to convey what it means to live in a developing country to external audiences (e.g., funders and voters of the developed country) and those involved in international development (e.g., NGO and government agencies).^[26] Additionally, photovoice can be used by the community to monitor the impact of development programs.^[27] For example, photovoice has been used in Bangladesh to understand residents' traditional ecological knowledge of water in their urban environment and to document changes in attitude toward water and natural ecosystems over time.^[28] This can help inform external agencies about the process, impacts, and complex realities, complementing wider research and analysis to support development progress.^[27][29]

Criticisms

Despite its strengths, photovoice journalism faces several criticisms. Ethical concerns include maintaining participant privacy and confidentiality, obtaining truly informed consent, and avoiding misrepresentation or stigmatization of individuals and communities through published images.^[10]

Another challenge in photovoice journalism is the potential for researcher bias to influence objectivity. For example, facilitators might inadvertently guide discussions toward subjects they consider "research-worthy," or their unconscious biases could sway which photographs they highlight during public presentations. This can lead participants, especially if they feel less articulate in formal settings, to self-censor or choose images they believe the researchers want, rather than those that are most personally significant or challenging to them.^[10]

See also

• Participatory art