Re-examining and reimagining power in participatory visual methodologies: a collaborative autoethnography

The purpose of this study is to re-examine and reimagine the role of power in participatory visual methodologies (PVM) research. From our four unique standpoints as higher education faculty (two of us identify as queer white women and two of us identify as Black women; all of us as ciswomen), we engage a collective autoethnographic approach to reflect on power and its influence in our work as visual methods researchers. We (re)present the findings from this study in the format of a scholarly discussion about power discussing the affordances and constraints we experience and our resistance to either/or thinking as we navigate tensions and contradictions that emerge while carrying out research using PVM. We end with recommendations for liberating research practices through PVM.