Study on motivational narratives of meth users in alabama is first photo-ethnography in criminology

15-OCT-2021

Peer-Reviewed Publication
AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CRIMINOLOGY


A new study examining the narratives and motivations of men and women in rural Alabama who used methamphetamine (meth) is forthcoming in Criminology, a publication of the American Society of Criminology. It is the first photo-ethnography to be published in the journal. The study was led by researchers Heith Copes (University of Alabama at Birmingham [UAB]), Fiona Brookman (University of South Wales), Jared Ragland (Utah State University), and Blake Beaton (Sam Houston State University).

The aim of this 18-month project was to understand how people who used meth made sense of their lives and navigated their drug use within the context of economic marginalization and rural life. Photo-ethnography—the use of photography to encourage responses and insights from participants—was critical in “unravelling the motives people expressed for questionable behavior, such as drug use, and gives us insights into cultural expectations and personal identities,” explains Copes, professor of criminal justice at UAB, who led the study.

In addition to these unique insights, using photographs helped the researchers connect and build rapport with participants; it also allowed participants to introduce ideas they found important and to visually represent themselves, evoking more emotional, multilayered responses than traditional interviews.

“We believe the use of photographs in published research can help remove some of the stigma surrounding marginalized groups,” says Ragland, the project photographer and professor of photography. “Photographs not only provide context to participants’ stories, but they can also draw readers into their lives, elicit empathy, and shrink the social distance among participants, researchers, and their audience.”

More:
https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/931767