Visual research methods : in the social sciences / by Stephen Spencer.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Spencer, Stephen.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Visual sociology.

Social sciences--Research.

Social sciences.

Physical Description:

xv, 275 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2011.

Summary:

Visual Research Methods is a guide for students, researchers and teachers in the social sciences who wish to explore and actively use a visual dimension in their research. This book offers an integrated approach to doing visual research, showing the potential for building convincing case studies using a mix of visual forms including: archive images, media, maps, objects, videos and still images. The book offers a critical review of some of the key theoretical ideas which underpin visual research and in particular the critical analysis of urban landscapes and visual identities.

Examples of the visual construction of 'place', social identity and trends of analysis are given in the first section of the book, whilst the essays in the second section highlight the astonishing creativity and innovation of four visual researchers. Each detailed example serves as a touchstone of quality and analysis in research, with themes ranging from the ethnography of a Venezuelan cult goddess to the forensic photography of the skeleton of a fourteenth-century nobleman. They give a keen sense of the motives, philosophies and benefits of using visual research methods.

This volume will be of practical interest to those embarking on visual research as well as more experienced researchers. Key concerns include the power of images and their changing significance in a world of cross-mediation, techniques of analysis and ethical issues, and how to unlock the potential of visual data for research. Book jacket.

Contents:

The process of research and visual methods

Visualising social life

Mapping society : a sense of place

Politics of identity in visual research

Trends in visual analysis

Towards a photographie féminine : photography of the city / Sarah Atkinson

Photography as process / Roger Brown

Studying images through images : a visual ethnography of María Lionza's cult in Venezuela / Roger Canals.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index.

ISBN:

9780415483827

0415483824

9780415483858

0415483859

OCLC:

422754378