Short Abstract:

This panel presents Visual Storyboards as a transformative tool in development studies, uniting visual narratives and ethnographic insights to explore crises. By amplifying marginalized voices and fostering co-produced knowledge, it reimagines how crises are studied, taught, and addressed.

Long Abstract:

This panel explores Visual Storyboards as an innovative methodological tool that transforms how developmental crises are studied and taught. It examines the potential of visual narratives to go beyond text and data by capturing the complex, intersectional realities of marginalized communities affected by crises. The panel highlights how visuals foster deeper connections to lived experiences and challenge traditional paradigms in development research and pedagogy.

We believe that in an era defined by polycrisis, dominant methods in development studies often reduce diverse experiences to aggregate metrics or linear narratives. These approaches risk excluding marginalized perspectives and perpetuating systemic inequalities. Visual storytelling addresses these limitations by offering a multi-layered, co-produced lens to engage with crises, focusing on reflexivity, agency, and inclusivity. This discussion underscores the urgency of rethinking how knowledge is generated, represented, and taught in development studies.

We propose Visual Storyboards as a methodological pivot to reshape development pedagogy. This approach combines visual ethnography, feminist principles, and participatory methods to emphasize polyvocality, contextual depth, and ethical representation. By integrating these tools into research and teaching, we aim to inspire a new generation of scholars and practitioners to move beyond conventional binaries and engage with development crises in a more nuanced and empathetic way. This methodology embodies the spirit of navigating the danger/opportunity dialectic by creating space for marginalized voices and fostering actionable change.

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