Memoscopio: Producing Usable and Collectively Owned Knowledge About the World March for Peace and Nonviolence

Abstract

As a project, Memoscopio sits at the intersection of activismAs a project, Memoscopio sits at the intersection of activism, social research, and advocacy. Rooted in the tradition of participatory action research (PAR) and

Ethical Requirements and Responsibilities in Video Methodologies: Considering Confidentiality and Representation in Social Justice Research

“…Video, for example, can trouble traditional power dynamics between participant and researcher. Literally "looking back" at the world through video technologies, participants are invited to use research as a vehicle to speak for themselves and their communities (Foster, 2009;hooks, 2000;Muñoz Proto et al, 2013), to fashion their identities and those of their communities for the viewing public (Cahill et al, 2008;Luttrell et al, 2012;Pink, 2007). In addition, the knowledge that participants would be able to readily identify themselves within the research may also create higher levels of accountability, as researchers may have to personally address participants' reactions and concerns upon seeing their portrayals in research findings (e.g., Guenther, 2009).…”

“…How researchers resolve potential dilemmas and novel ethical questions regarding video-based research requires an acute articulation of their sense of ethical responsibility. In what follows, we discuss issues of confidentiality and representation using illustrative examples from a video-based PAR project carried out by Carolina and colleagues (Muñoz Proto et al, 2013). In doing so, we seek to demonstrate the utility of a ref lexive approach and articulation of ethical responsibilities in the resolution of ethical questions.…”

“…Between 2009 and 2011, Carolina Muñoz Proto et al (2013) carried out a video-based study of a transnational campaign, the World March for Peace and Nonviolence (the March). In an effort to promote disarmament, non-militarism, and nonviolence, the March engaged with local governments, community organizations, and individual participants through public events in 600 cities, use of social media, and a three-month march around the world.…”

“…For example, previous research has used video as an object of analysis (Forsyth, Carroll, & Reitano, 2009;Holliday, 2007;Lomax, 2011;Rich, Lamola, Gordon, & Chalfen, 2000) and as a means for data elicitation (Aronson & Bania, 2011;Smith, Smees, & Pellegrini, 2004;Sparrman, 2006;Watts, Griffith, & Abdul-Adil, 1999). Across these studies, researchers have incorporated diverse subgenres of video: video diaries (Barnes, Taylor-Brown, & Wiener, 1997;Bates, 2013;Gibson, 2008;Pini & Walkerdine, 2011), video interviews (Kasangaki, Macnab, & Cannon, 2012;Muñoz Proto, 2012), ethnography or vérité (K. Liebenberg, Ungar, & Theron, 2014), and video testimonies (Muñoz Proto, Devoto Lyon, Villar Castillo, & Battistella, 2013).…”

“…Drawing from the critical perspectives from North America (Fine, 2012;Fox & Fine, 2012;Teo, 2010) and Latin America (Montero, 2006;Wiesenfeld, 2014), we contend that due to the novel ethical questions, video poses researchers must develop and articulate a heightened sense of their ethical responsibilities. Toward that end, we offer illustrative examples from our own work of a video-based PAR project carried out by Carolina and colleagues (Muñoz Proto et al, 2013), identifying key questions that guided the resolution of ethical dilemmas and foregrounding the importance of articulating ethical responsibilities. The article concludes with recommendations for on how to pursue deeper disciplinary ref lection on the ethical responsibilities in video work.…”