2nd Edition
by Stephen Spencer (Author)
Visual Research Methods in the Social Sciences: Awakening Visions
is an indispensable resource for students, researchers and teachers
seeking to use visual sources in their research and understand how
images work. This fully updated edition adds questions and activities
for studies and many new images and models as well as additional
exploration of social and theoretical contexts and examples of current
visual and multimodal research.
Due to the
proliferation of image-centric social media and the growing potential
for ‘fake news’, being able to critically assess media and other visual
messages is more important than ever. For researchers embarking on
visual research this book offers useful practical guidance and
real-world examples from seasoned researchers exploring cultures as
varied as: religious cults in Venezuela, the Beer Can Regatta in Darwin,
Mapuche Indians in Chile and graffiti artists in Sheffield. It offers
an integrated approach to visual research, building compelling case
studies using a wide range of visual forms, including: archive images,
media samples, maps, objects, video, photographs and drawings alongside
traditional qualitative approaches. Examples of the visual construction
of ‘place’, representations of social identities and different
approaches to analysis are explored in the first section of the book,
whilst the essays in the second section highlight the creativity and
innovation of four leading visual researchers.
This
new edition will prove valuable for both experienced visual researchers
and those embarking on visual research in the social sciences for the
first time.
