Visual ethnography, a bridge between science and social transformation

Interview with Marcela Vásquez-León

Authors

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46391/ALCEU.v24.ed54.2024.451

Keywords:

Ethnography, Social justice, Ethnographic film, Audiovisual

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.

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Author Biographies

Raquel Galdino, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro - PUC-Rio

Mestranda bolsista CNPq do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Comunicação Social da PUC-Rio. É pesquisadora e co-orientadora de Iniciação Científica grupo de pesquisa "NarFic Narrativas da Vida Moderna na Cultura Midiática: Do Folhetim às Séries Audiovisuais".

Luana Vicentina, Pontifícia Universidade Católica do Rio de Janeiro - PUC-Rio

Mestranda bolsista Capes/PROSUC do Programa de Pós-Graduação em Comunicação Social da PUC-Rio. É jornalista com domínio em Antropologia da Arte e Cultura e assessora de Comunicação na TV Globo. Participa do Centro de Estudos em Ficção Audiovisual, Espectatorialidades e Consumo do PPGCOM PUC-Rio.

References

VÁSQUEZ-LEÓN, M. (Director). 2009. Cooperatives and Small Farmers in Paraguay/Cooperativas y Pequeños Productores del Paraguay: Manduvira Cooperative. DVD. Spanish and Spanish with English subtitles. Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology and VisualArte, Chile. DVD donated to the to the Center for Latin American Studies Library and the University of Arizona Main Library, freely available in the online repository. https://vimeo.com/30447851

VÁSQUEZ-LEÓN, M. (Director). 2010. Cooperatives and Small Farmers in Paraguay/Cooperativas y Pequeños Productores del Paraguay: Capiibary Cooperative, San Juan Nepomuceno, Caazapa. DVD. Spanish and Spanish with English subtitles. Bureau of Applied Research in Anthropology and VisualArte, Chile. https://vimeo.com/30457377

VÁSQUEZ-LEÓN, M, B. Burke, FINAN, T. (eds). 2017. Cooperatives, Grassroots Development, and Social Change: Experiences from Rural Latin America. Edited Volume. The University of Arizona Press.

Published

2024-12-11

How to Cite

Galdino, R., & Vicentina, L. (2024). Visual ethnography, a bridge between science and social transformation: Interview with Marcela Vásquez-León. Revista ALCEU, 24(54), 185–195. https://doi.org/10.46391/ALCEU.v24.ed54.2024.451

Issue

Section

Entrevista