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Picturing Disaster: Participatory Photovoice Research with a Flood-Affected Indigenous Community

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Handbook of Social Inclusion

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Abstract

Photovoice is a visual qualitative research method designed to convey participants’ experiences and perspectives through photography. Intended for participatory projects, the method is guided by goals of empowerment, social change, policy change, or other community aims. In this chapter, we outline the key characteristics of photovoice method in the context of participatory, community-based research. In 2019, we conducted our own modified photovoice study in collaboration with an Indigenous community in the province of Saskatchewan, Canada. The First Nation – which has a strong connection to the land and water but also a history of severe flooding and flood evacuation – aimed to document their environmental history and collective flood experience. The two-phase study followed a participatory model co-led by researchers and community representatives. In this chapter, we present our study methodology, focusing particularly on how we adapted photovoice method to be suitable for an Indigenous community with a history of flood-related losses and to be inclusive of individuals with flood experience. Key adaptations included alignment with the principles of OCAP (ownership, control, access, and possession); a critical realist philosophical framing; use of pre-existing photographs rather than induced photography; and collective rather than individual provision of photos. Our project demonstrates the importance of methodological flexibility and adaptation while still maintaining the overarching values of inclusive, participatory research.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to express their gratitude to the following Ochapowace First Nation members: Headman Tim Bear; Legal Coordinators Cortney Bear, Cassandra Taypotat, and Jaimie Taypotat; Elder Ross Allary; Ochapowace student research assistants Bert George and Kirk Bear; and the many Elders and community members who participated in this project. Thank you for sharing your time and expertise. We would also like to acknowledge the wonderful canteen staff at the Chief Denton George Memorial Multiplex, who catered the photovoice exercise, and the staff at the Ochapowace health center for letting us use that facility to host the exercise. We also acknowledge the important contribution of Dr. Nancy Sah Akwen, who facilitated the oral history component. This project was funded by the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC) (file # 435-2016-0952) and the Queen Elizabeth Advanced Scholars Program.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Sociology and Social Studies and Community Engagement and Research Centre (CERC), University of Regina, Regina, SK, Canada

    Amber J. Fletcher

  2. Sociology and Social Studies, University of Regina, Regina, SK, Canada

    Nicholas Antonini

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  1. Amber J. Fletcher
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  2. Nicholas Antonini
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Correspondence to Amber J. Fletcher .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. School of Health Sciences, Western Sydney University, Penrith, NSW, Australia

    Pranee Liamputtong

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Fletcher, A.J., Antonini, N. (2021). Picturing Disaster: Participatory Photovoice Research with a Flood-Affected Indigenous Community. In: Liamputtong, P. (eds) Handbook of Social Inclusion. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-48277-0_70-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-48277-0_70-1

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