Visual ethnography, a bridge between science and social transformation

Interview with Marcela Vásquez-León

Abstract

With a focus on the human dimensions of global environmental change and social justice, Colombian environmental anthropologist Marcela Vásquez-León, director of the Center for Latin American Studies at the University of Arizona, discusses how audiovisual tools can transcend academia, directly impacting the communities being researched and challenging entrenched prejudices. In an interview during her visit to PUC-Rio in August this year, when she gave a mini-course on “Ethnography and Ethnographic Film” at the Postgraduate Program in Social Communication, Vásquez-León shared her thoughts on the potential of ethnographic film, reaffirmed her belief in the role of audiovisuals as a catalyst for transformative dialogues between anthropologists and communities and commented on the ethical and methodological challenges of this approach, which seeks to balance scientific rigor and commitment to those being researched.