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Introduction: Photo Methods, the Image, and Validity

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Participant Empowerment Through Photo-elicitation in Ethnographic Education Research

Abstract

Although the two have distinct origins, photography and ethnography are linked in history and practice. The technology and application of photography as documenter and driver of society has created a convergence of culture and image not possible in former ages, and Yet in social science, the image has been slow to gain acceptance as a tool for data collection and dissemination. This introduction describes the origins and mechanisms of this powerful union and explains how the use of images in ethnographic work enhances validity. The chapters herein are testaments to the power of using images in ethnographic research as more than a mere mechanism for deeper data collection, but also as an empowering experience for participants.

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  1. Texas State University, San Marcos, TX, USA

    Michael L. Boucher Jr.

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  1. Michael L. Boucher Jr.
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Correspondence to Michael L. Boucher Jr. .

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  1. Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas, USA

    Michael Lee Boucher, Jr.

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Boucher, M.L. (2018). Introduction: Photo Methods, the Image, and Validity. In: Boucher, Jr., M. (eds) Participant Empowerment Through Photo-elicitation in Ethnographic Education Research. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-64413-4_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-64413-4_1

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