Challenges in Digital Storytelling: The Emergence of Adapted Video Narrative Methods for Highly Marginalized Storytellers

Abstract

“Strong Houses, Strong Voices” is an arts-based research project which uses co-created first-person video narratives to present the lived experiences of a group of South African post-natural builders currently constructing houses in informal settlements. Post-natural builders use a combination of traditional and repurposed building materials to create low-cost, environmentally appropriate houses and community-based structures. The methodology draws from the digital storytelling (DST) methodology pioneered by the Center for Digital Storytelling (CDS). This article examines two video narrative methods which were adapted from DST methodology to support inclusion of low-literacy research participants in narrative-based research contexts. The study extends arts-based research approaches into the realm of data and interpretation and responds to place-based and literacy challenges faced in working with a DST methodology.