Beyond talk and text: Visuality and critical discursive psychology

Abstract

ABSTRACT Given the centrality of the visual to modern day life, this article introduces a visually informed approach to critical discursive psychology that facilitates the study of visual materials. We argue that the visual is a site where the social world is actively built and maintained, similar to what has been reasoned more generally about language use, and that critical discursive psychology can offer a rigorous approach to examining visual materials that can productively deepen our understanding of psychological concepts. As such, we integrate a consideration of visuality into critical discursive psychology theory, including a conceptualization of visual discourse and visual interpretative repertoires, provide tools for close readings of visual materials and guidance regarding how to employ these tools, and outline the process of identifying visual interpretative repertoires. We further connect these concepts to our previous experience carrying out this approach to inform future inquiries.