Re-imagining narratives of intimate violence: PhotoVoice inquiries with queer non/monogamous communities in Lethbridge, Alberta
Date
2020
Authors
Walker, Jaisie
University of Lethbridge. Faculty of Arts and Science
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Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Lethbridge, Alta. : University of Lethbridge, Dept. of Women and Gender Studies
Abstract
Seven collaborators in this project used PhotoVoice, a visual participatory action methodology, to explore the complexity of violence as it is lived, represented, and (re)defined in the context of queer non/monogamous communities in Lethbridge, Alberta. Critically engaging with the themes of neoliberalism, oversimplified positivity discourse, and the intersections of power and identity that often shape spaces of non/monogamies, collaborators considered prevailing narratives of violence within their communities, and how these narratives challenge or sustain conventional gender-based heteronormative models of relationship violence. Through the participatory process, collaborators troubled what constitutes and qualifies violence, how violence is talked about, and made more explicit connections between interpersonal, community, and state violence. The visual and participatory approach was instrumental in reconceptualizing and making meaning from the complexities of violence in their lives and their communities; in particular, image-based storytelling challenges the role of language in facilitating and constraining the (un)speakability of violence.
Description
Keywords
Intimate partner violence , Non-monogamous relationships , PhotoVoice (Charity) , Sexual minorities , Dissertations, Academic