Giving Voice to Women: An Israeli Case Study

A Review of Participant-Generated Image Methods in the Social Sciences

“…It also capitalizes on feminist theory, where women are viewed as experts of their own life situations, with the capacity to use detailed knowledge about themselves and their community, rather simply having decisions handed down to them (Keller & Longino, 1996). By giving a voice to individuals and groups who would otherwise not be heard, photovoice seeks to encourage and facilitate political change (Bilsky, 1998). It also builds on the tradition of documentary photography, which attempts to educate and sensitize the public by bringing other people's reality to their attention (Hubbard, 1994).…”

“…MacKay & Couldwell, 2004;Garrod, 2009), urban studies (e.g. Damico, 1985;Dodman, 2004) and gender studies (Bilsky, 1998). Such studies have also contributed to the development of a multidisciplinary sub-field of the social sciences known as "visual sociology" (Becker, 1995) or, more generally, "visual research".…”

“…While it is commonplace for interview-based research to employ photographs as discussion vehicles-a technique that is usually known as ''photo-elicitation'' (Matteucci, 2013)-it is less common for these photographs to be contributed by the participants themselves. Proponents also highlight a number of valuable features of PGI research, including its emphasis on the visual rather than the textual (Dakin, 2003), the reflexive nature of the method (MacKay & Couldwell, 2004), and the benefits it can have not only in terms of contributing to academic knowledge but also for the participants, policy makers, and the public (Bilsky, 1998).…”

Analysis of Israelis [Jews and Arab–Palestinians]: exploring law in society and society in law

“…Hence, patriarchy has been identified as a cause of social discrimination, and the legal setting that has formed, maintained and entrenched gender discrimination has been subjected to deconstruction, primarily through the publications of feminists who have applied sociopolitical, cultural and legal feminist theories to the Israeli justice system. State law has been identified as a prime agent of patriarchy, and demands for its deconstruction have been advanced through the studies of feminists, especially since the early 1990s when legal feminism became more integrated into Israeli law faculties (Bilsky, 1998; Dahan-Kalev, 1995; Hacker, 2001, 2003; Kamir, 1998, 2004; Lahav, 1993a; Morag-Levine, 1994; Shachar, 1993, 2001; Shalhoub-Kevorkian, 1999, 2000; Tirosh, 2005; Rimalt, 2002, 2007; Almog, 2008). They have striven to dismantle male-made law as a garrison of patriarchy.…”

“…Indeed, liberal jurisprudence in Israel has embedded, especially since the 1990s, some reforms that have been based on more litigation around pay equity, affirmative action legislation, court rulings, and legislation to reduce the scope of sexual harassment, and to increase the advancement of women in the armed forces, including in battle units and as battle pilots in the air force, and the promotion of women in the labour market. Yet critical feminists have studied why and how these reforms have not significantly altered the basic structural discrimination against women (Bilsky, 1998; Dahan-Kalev, 1995; Hacker, 2001, 2003; Kamir, 1998, 2004; Lahav, 1993a; Morag-Levine, 1994; Shachar, 1993, 2001; Shalhoub-Kevorkian, 1999, 2000; Tirosh, 2005; Rimalt, 2002, 2007; Almog, 2008).…”