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Paper short abstract:

This paper discusses the reflection and evaluation of visual participatory methods during fieldwork research on people with albinism in Zambia, focused on perception of their own "otherness" and "sameness" in different social contexts, both in the past and in the present.

Paper long abstract:

The paper discusses innovative methodological approaches of visual ethnographic research of people with albinism in Zambia. Our reflection and evaluation of visual participatory methods (photo elicitation, autoethnographic photo diary, drawings) is based on our research in eastern Zambia that focused on the perception of everyday life of people with albinism and their experience with multifaceted discrimination, social discrimination and physical violence. In contrast to other African countries that have implemented legislative measures to protect people with albinism (Tanzania, Mozambique), Zambia remains among countries, where people with albinism continue to experience multifaceted discrimination and social stigmatization. Research objective was to interpret participants´ perception of their own "otherness" and "sameness" in different social contexts, both in the past and in the present. We focused at memory narrative level of interpretation of lived experience through technique of biographical interview combined with method of photo elicitation, that uses photographic records to evoke memory in areas neglected during verbally anchored interviews. We further used autoethnographic photo diary, through which the respondents themselves documented their own perception of lived social reality "now and here". We also used a technique of drawing for children with albinism, which enabled reflect on their own feelings and understanding of internalized attitudes and perceptions shared by wider society. These visual participatory methods producing alternative forms of narration enabled democratization of data and allowed our respondents to be co-producers of knowledge.