In the end, is it possible to change the world with a picture?

One picture can communicate history, understanding, changed world-views, and happiness. But can it really change the world.

I suppose it depends on how you choose to look at the picture.

For the residents of Chaicuriri, Bolivia, it appears that photography has changed their world, and with that change, the potential exists that the rest of the world can change, too. Putting a camera in their hands and giving them the opportunity to capture ideas and aspects of their culture that are most important to them, as well as the ensuing dialogue about it, gave them an opportunity to improve their living conditions based on what is most important to them.

The concept is admittedly broad. “PhotoVoice works with a broad methodology, which is tailored in each project to the needs of the specific community [and]… builds on the power and potential of photography as a flexible and empowering tool that is at the same time accessible, therapeutic, influential and communicative.” (Methodology, 2010, para. 1).

Royal Roads Masters student Greg Spira was involved in a Photovoice project that also helped Aymara indigenous residents in highland Bolivia to use photography to confidently engage in political discussion, and to become active participants in the development of their community (Spira, 2008, p. ii). His project created an opportunity for Chaicuriri residents to satisfy their “simultaneous desire to name and transform the world around [them]” (Spira, 2008, p. 2).

This process allows for participation by residents in giving outside agencies the perspective needed to apply development funds and efforts appropriately. As Spira highlights the thoughts of Paolo Freire, he evaluates that previous projects were unsuccessful because they sought to use only the insight of the authors of the project, rather than considering the perspective of the people whom their project was meant to help (Spira, 2008, p. 2).

If this process sounds vaguely familiar with the study in which teachers gave their immigrant students cameras to capture their ideas and values on film, it is. The same process that can help build understanding between two people, also has the potential to impact entire cultures of people in a way that brings dignity, ownership, and pride to the community.

As Chaicuriri resident Feliciano F. reflected, ““We now have proof to show people what we want. These photos reflect our reality and our bright future.” (Spira, 2009, slide 21).

That sounds like changing the world to me.

References

Spira, G. (2008). Chaicuriri through the lens: Envisioning community-based development through Photovoice. (Masters dissertation, Royal Roads University, 2008). Retrieved from ProQuest Digital Dissertations (AAT MR44202)

Spira, G. (2009). Chaicuriri through the lens: Envisioning community development through Photovoice (Power Point presentation). COMM310: Theoretical Foundations in Communication (course). Victoria, Royal Roads University.

Methodology. (2010). Retrieved from http://www.photovoice.org/whatwedo/info/methodology

Photo credit: © Greg Spira

The culture of union...captured on film

A wedding day. Hopefully, one of the happiest days of a person’s life.

This was mine. And it was.

When I think back to what that day meant for me culturally, it involved a massive transition! As I’m sure most couples feel when they marry, I was anxious, nervous, excited, and eager. It was a transition because I went from being Karen Oishi to Karen Walker in the course of a few minutes. And that meant a number of things for me culturally. I became part of a new family. My identity changed. My family expanded. I was now legally and emotionally tied to someone for life. I had a new roommate.

The pictures of our day are significant to us, but, really, only to us! Other people rarely ask to see my wedding album. And as Michele Strano (2006) points out, that’s not unnatural, because:

Although a wedding album may feel personal and individual to the bride and groom, albums are remarkably similar between couples, in part due to the work routines that professional photographers employ and in part due to the conventions wedding participants learn from looking at the wedding albums of friends and celebrity wedding photographs in the mass media. (pp. 37-38)

So, does this mean that my wedding photos are meaningless, and that there is no value in my wedding photos? Not at all.

Understanding who I am individually in our marriage is derived from those photos. I am his wife. I am Karen Walker.

I can also better understand the interpersonal relationship that my husband and I have. Our marriage meant that we joined together and operate as a team.  That helps us to determine our actions and our feelings.

And I can also apply my understanding of our marriage to a cultural level.  Not only are we married, but we are also inextricably linked in a number of other ways: we belong to a larger family, we belong to a group of people who are all married, we live together in the same country, and we speak the same language.

Photography in this context allows for a real celebration of a new experience within the cultural realm, and it is a brilliant way to communicate this cultural change, as well as all of the emotions and joys that accompany it. For me that was elation, adoration, and wonderment!

References

Strano, M.M. (2006). Ritualized transmission of social norms through wedding photography. Communication Theory. Vol. 16. pp. 31-46

Photo credit: personal collection

Media colours the way that we see the world...

Even in black and white, photographs are a powerful conveyor of messages created and transmitted by the media.

Think about the most powerful image you have ever seen. There are many.

One of them includes this:

I think almost everyone would agree. Anecdotally, I remember my teacher telling me that this was the photograph that changed the face of the Vietnam war. One simple photograph.

Only, this photograph is not so simple. It’s what it says that matters. It speaks of horror. It speaks of pain. It speaks of devastation. It speaks of injustice.

Photographer Nick Ut says of his famous photo:

The pictures were shown in America, they were shown everywhere. They were shown in all the Communist countries - in China and in Vietnam. They still use the photo. Even though pictures [are taken] in every war, they still show the picture of Kim. They don't want it to happen again - not napalm. (Ut, 2005, para. 16-17)

The way that people experience the pain and suffering of others can be shaped through photographs.

Think of the Dove ads. They’re familiar and comforting. They convey a strong message about self-esteem, and about self-confidence.

But what do they also say to us about the pain and suffering of others? They tell us that others feel the same way as we do. They convey a message of solidarity; of unity. They make us feel as though we’re not alone.

And not only that, “Dove has created a marketing campaign which…generated wide interest from the media and consumers alike, promoting Dove as a campaigner for ordinary women everywhere” (“Dove campaign,” 2005, p. 12). By doing so, Dove has used the photograph, through the media, to to change the way that women see themselves, and see the world around them.

References

Dove campaign for real beauty case study: innovative marketing strategies in the beauty industry (2005, June). Rockville: Market Research.com.

Ut, N. (2005 May 9). Picture power: Vietnam napalm attack. Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/4517597.stm

Photo credit – Napalm attack: © Nick Ut, June 1972

Photo credit – Dove ad

Children see things in a totally different way...

What can we learn from immigrant children who use disposable cameras to document their world?

It turns out: a lot.

Children have a lot to communicate about their world, and their observations can be startlingly accurate, even when complicated concepts are presented to them.

So, it would stand to reason that photography might also give them an entirely new way to communicate their thoughts, ideas, and feelings.

These insights are not only valuable within the context of intercultural interactions with children, but also within the context of a classroom.

Researchers Jane Keat, Barbara Marinak, and Martha Strickland conducted a research study called Child Voice: How Immigrant Children Enlightened their Teachers with a Camera, in which teachers provided their immigrant students an opportunity to take pictures, and then discussed the photographs with the students. These findings revealed not only insight into the world of immigrant children, but a practical, effective way for teachers to interact and communicate with students from other cultural backgrounds.

According to the authors, the children communicated three main messages with their photographs. The “Here are the persons, places and things that are important to me” (Keat, Marinak & Strickland, 2009) message helped children to articulate their perspectives in a way that their teachers could understand. During the individual discussion with the student, teachers were able to use verbal, and non-verbal cues, such as words, gestures, and facial expression, to further identify the importance of the photograph to the student. (Keat et al., 2009).

The next message that the students conveyed was, “I know my life in a way that you do not” (Keat et al., 2009), which is important because it gave children the authority and expertise about their pictures. The researchers also noted that the children were inclined to correct when the teacher perceived a picture differently than the student intended (Keat et al., 2009). Through this experience, children were able to engage with teachers in socialization, and also provided teachers an opportunity to evaluate their assumptions and values in relation to their students’ cultural situations (Keat et al., 2009).

Finally, the “Listen to me and I will talk to you” (Keat et al., 2009) message is an important observation in the student’s comprehension and comfort with the English language, and provides the teacher with clarity on language development and progression with each discussion about the photographs (Keat et al., 2009).

John Oetzel (2009) would probably say that this strategy reflects his concept of immediacy, which is “the extent to which communication behaviours bring closeness and reduce physical and/or psychological distance between a teacher and a student” (p. 185). I would have to agree. I also think it is a very effective and sensitive way to engage with students to motivate and encourage their development.

References

Keat, J.B., Marinak, B.A., & Strickland, M.J. (2009 August). Child voice: How immigrant children enlightened their teachers with a camera. Early Childhood Education Journal. 37(1), pp. 13-21.

Oetzel, J. (2009). Intercultural communication: a layered approach. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.

Photo credit

Where does it begin?

My journey to explore intercultural communication began here. With some of these wonderful people.

These pictures speak of my cultural identity. Clearly, I was in the unexamined cultural identity phase (Oetzel, 2009, p. 67) in both of these photographs. That is me – the tiny infant being held and loved by three other generations of family members.  I had not yet embarked on the cultural awakening that I was about to experience. As a tiny child, I was content in the love of all of the people who grace my life. My gramma's smile is still one of the most precious things to see, and I realize that I am blessed, because many people didn't know a great-grandparent into their twenties. 

These photographs speak of adoration, family history, and growing to become the person I was meant to be because these truly remarkable people have supported and encouraged me to be who I am.

What I recall of my search for my identity began early in my life - somewhere in early grade school. I was so proud to be part Japanese, mostly because people could never tell by looking at me what my ethnicity was, but when I told them my last name was "Oishi," almost everyone said that they could definitely see the Japanese in my eyes!

I loved that. Being Japanese meant that I had my great-grandma's beautiful eyes. It meant that I was unique, and it meant that I was connected to a people who had a history, with stories to tell and lessons to learn.

Identifying with my Japanese roots also meant curiosity for me. I was curious about what Japanese Canadians endured through the second World War. I was also curious about the language, and as a young person, resented that I had to learn French in school, when I had a much more interesting language that I wanted to learn!  

Curiously still, I spent little of my childhood wondering about my other history – my French Canadian roots.

My great-great-grandmother and grandfather came to Canada from France, and settled in rural Saskatchewan (which later became part of Alberta). They were homesteaders and settlers; the kind of people that you read about in Canadian history books. They bought a farm, and were so poor that the only home they could afford was a sod hut that housed their huge family (my great-grandma had 11 brothers and sisters!).

I’m not sure why that fascinated me less as a child than the Japanese side. Certainly, a trip to Heritage Park in Calgary meant that I was walking in almost the same shoes as those of my great-great grandparents. I think that, at the time, being a fifth-generation Canadian wasn't that interesting.  I think I wanted to tell stories about how my family endured the war, rather than that they endured the horrible prairie winters.

Until Mother’s Day, 2002, when I was able to attend a ceremony with my mother and grandmother to honour the pioneering spirit of my great-great grandmother’s life. Even today, my cultural heritage is memorialized with a statue that was created to honour pioneering women. I am so proud.

I’m lucky to be a fifth-generation French-Canadian, a fourth-generation Japanese-Canadian, and a third-generation Scottish-Canadian. And I realize that although my Canadian heritage is made up of many components of other ethnic identities, I can say unequivocally, I am a Canadian. That is my salient identity (Oetzel, 2009, p. 59).

I think I'll head to my grandparents' house to see what other ways I can find to connect with my history, and who I really am.

References

Oetzel, J. (2009). Intercultural communication: a layered approach. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Pearson Education, Inc.

Photo credits:  personal collection