Picturing Obama: Race, High School Students, and a Critical Methodology of the Visual

• In Event: 16.061 - Roundtable Session 4
  In Roundtable Session: 16.061-2 - Educational Research Using Critical Methods

Abstract

I draw on methodological findings from a case study on how high school students of color make sense of dominant narratives of race and politics in the Obama American Era. Incorporating literature from critical race theory and visual research methods, I use conclusions from this inquiry project as a means for offering a practical instantiation of critical race research through the use of visuals and a new avenue for considering Foucault’s notion of parrhesia in qualitative inquiry. Ultimately, I argue that the method of photo elicitation created powerful opportunities for critical race research with students.

Author

• William L. Smith, The University of Arizona