Refusal and Representation in Photovoice

• In Event: 66.053 - Turning Away From Text in Qualitative Research: Possibilities in Image- and Audio-Based Methods

Abstract

Theoretical Framework
Emerging from the prevalence of pain narratives in educational and social science research, the notion of refusal allows for distinctions between what is accessible and what is off-limits to researchers (Tuck & Yang, 2014). It speaks to “what you need to know and what I refuse to write in” (Simpson, 2007). In visual educational research, the related concept of the fugitive aesthetic “chooses refusal and flight as modes of freedom” (Martineau & Ritskes, 2014).

Objective and Method
There is a need for discussion about the role of refusal in image-based modes of inquiry such as photovoice, a participatory photography methodology that “promotes critical dialogue about important issues” (Wang & Burris, 1997) through taking, discussing, and sharing photographs. Refusal provides an avenue for moving away from damage-centred narratives towards a desire-based framework, rejecting the idea that issues around representation in educational research are resolved simply with the incorporation of participatory elements (Tuck & Yang, 2014).

Data Source
“Work with the visual creates a generative space for looking, and then looking anew” (Mitchell, 2011). In this paper, the authors draw on their work with the Hudson Valley Photovoice project to explore the question: to what extent can refusal be applied to participatory photography? In Hudson Valley Photovoice, youth who are the children of migrant workers conducted photovoice research to learn about their own perspectives on their school and town settings. Participants explored how these settings shape their postsecondary opportunities, in the context of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) policy.

Results
Refusal was embedded into the fabric of the project, from the structure to the activities. A central feature of photovoice methodology is a culminating exhibit of the participants’ images for an audience of community members and policy makers. In Hudson Valley Photovoice, we flipped that model, moving the exhibit to the middle of the project timeline. Repositioning the exhibit as a way to get feedback on the work allowed participants to incorporate their community’s input into reiterations. Activities focused on building refusal into photographic data through approaches to intervening on images. Participants experimented with manipulating their images, using methods such as multiple exposure, mixed-media collage, and incorporating text. Through these strategies, they embedded meaning and resistance in their work.

Significance
Too often, images created through participatory photography work are treated as self-evident; collapsed into the gimmick of giving cameras to people in underserved communities. As the results of Hudson Valley Photovoice demonstrate, building in refusal can prevent photographic data from being flattened and better involve participants in representation. Throughout this paper and presentation, the authors reflect on what it means to engage images as data. In the context of participatory research, there is a shortfall of attention paid to how participants are involved in data analysis (Mitchell, 2011). Positioning participants as co-researchers requires their involvement in determining which forms of analysis to use, as well as conducting the analysis, so that their influence extends beyond pressing the shutter.

Authors

• Deanna Del Vecchio, University of Toronto

• Eve Tuck, University of Toronto