Using visual sociology for transnational justice- pedagogical and methodological implications

Abstract

ABSTRACT In 2019, I created a 60-minute docudrama titled ‘Mira’s Minders’, which examined specific challenges and incentives associated with working as domestic caregivers in West Bengal, India. My research attempt part intentionally and part serendipitously has materialized into the kind of academic practice hooks (1994) recommends- by reconceptualizing knowledge, by taking on a different route than traditional research, highlighting the minority experience from an unusual context, and through bringing in a diverse worldview to the undergraduate and graduate classroom. And yet materializations of such labors of love require thoughtful deliberation. I discuss the methodological and pedagogical implications associated with making a visual project on social justice, which is transnational in scope. For methodology this requires cultivating a thoughtful research design, initiating a timely research conversation with other stakeholders, developing detailed bilingual interview schedules, juggling research protocols with visual documentation, and finally making sense of a rich and complex repository of data. The pedagogical implications include invoking a form of self-actualization, tasks associated with introducing multiculturalism, establishing the close-knit connection between theory and practice, drawing on empathy and finally facilitating learning through the visual process.