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The Ground They Walk On: Photography and Narrative Inquiry
Diane Ketelle, Mills CollegeFollow
In this project, the author explores a novel variation on an established social science research method, photo-elicitation. The author photographed eight school principals during a two-year period and asked the principals to respond to the photographs by writing narratives below each. The author uses photography, reflections, and her own memories to construct descriptive narrative snapshots of the eight principals. Further, the author argues that this approach underscores how photographs are both technically and socially constructed and through the use of photo-elicitation new ways of understanding self and others in relation can be explored.
Key Words: Narrative Inquiry, Photography, and Photo-Elicitation
The author would like to thank the following people who read and commented on earlier drafts of this manuscript: Joseph Flessa at the University of Toronto, Sabrina Zirkel and Robin Gal, and Tomas Galguera at Mills College. The author would especially like to thank Sally St. George for detailed critique and recommendations at several stages of manuscript development.
Ketelle, D. (2010). The Ground They Walk On: Photography and Narrative Inquiry. The Qualitative Report, 15(3), 535-568. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2010.1164