Collaborative sensemaking through photos: Using photovoice to study gas pipeline development in Appalachia

Abstract

Photovoice is an increasingly popular research method across disciplines due to its flexibility and capacity for generating rich data. This article argues that while its practical virtues are abundant, the theoretical contributions of photovoice to qualitative research are just as important. We argue that photographs can act as boundary objects that enable collective sensemaking at multiple stages of a research study. This is fulfilled through a case study of gas extraction and distribution networks and their social consequences in West Virginia, a state in the United States deeply entrenched geographically and culturally in natural resource extraction. Ultimately, this case study demonstrates that photovoice as a process and photographs as artifacts are sites for rich collaborative interpretation and provides a model of how to operationalize photos in multiple stages of research so that study designs are centered around participant experiences.