Using cellphones in participatory visual research to address gender-based violence in and around rural South African schools: Reflections on research as intervention
abstractThere is a critical need to address gender-based violence (GBV) against young women in South African schools. This article reflects on the process of facilitating a participatory visual research workshop with a group of high school learners in rural KwaZulu-Natal to interrogate how research can act as intervention in the lives of research participants and communities. The participants used cellphones to make short videos - or cellphilms - on how they understand the relationship between cellphones and GBV in and around schools. Drawing on feminist reflexivity, I present a reflexive narrative describing the research as intervention process. While cellphilm method can yield exciting and insightful results, it is not emancipatory in its own right. Limitations include the difficulties of facilitating workshops and the need to assess the impact of incorporating cellphone technology into media-making practices with participants. I also discuss some ethical considerations of conducting research as interve...