Visual, Narrative and Creative Research Methods ─ Application, Reflection and Ethics

Visual research methods are quickly becoming key topics of interest and are now widely recognised as having the potential to evoke emphatic understanding of the ways in which other people experience their worlds.Visual, Narrative and Creative Research Methods examines the practices and value of these visual approaches as a qualitative tool in the field of social science and related disciplines.

This book is concerned with the process of applying visual methods as a tool of inquiry from design, to production, to analysis and dissemination. Drawing on research projects which reflect real world situations, you will be methodically guided through the research process in detail, enabling you to examine and understand the practices and value of visual, narrative and creative approaches as effective qualitative tools.

Key topics include:

• techniques of data production, including collage, mapping, drawing and photographs;

• the practicalities of application;

• the positioning of the researcher;

• interpretation of visual data;

• images and narratives in public spaces;

• evaluative analysis of creative approaches.

Visual, Narrative and Creative Research Methods will be an invaluable companion for researchers, postgraduate students and other academics with an interest in visual and creative methods and qualitative research.

Dawn Mannay is Lecturer in Social Sciences at Cardiff University, Wales, and she employs participatory, visual, creative and narrative methods in her research with diverse communities.