Short Abstract:

Multimodal anthropology offers distinct ways to address complex social realities. This panel will explore how anthropologists have been dealing with multimodality in order to deepen understanding of global issues, engage with communities in participatory ways and amplify marginalised voices.

Long Abstract:

In an era marked by profound global challenges—from climate change, war, and forced displacement to social inequalities, mental health crises, and environmental degradation—anthropologists are increasingly turning to multimodal methods to engage in ethnographic action. Multimodality allows researchers to engage with communities and topics in dynamic, participatory ways, revealing dimensions of inequality, poverty, extremism, environmental threats and their intersectionalities that otherwise might remain obscured. But what are other implications of this shift? This panel welcomes contributions that examine critically the role of multimodal methods in addressing these issues. Particular questions that could be addressed include: How can multimodal anthropology offer new ways of representing and addressing social inequalities, particularly among marginalised groups? How might it contribute to engaging communities in the production of their own narratives? How does multimodality impact our ethnographic practices? Can these methods serve as tools for advocacy and policy change? How can multimodal representations of post-colonial contexts help dismantle the colonial gaze? What are the ethical and/or aesthetical challenges presented by these approaches? Through a turn to multimodality, how can museums and archives be used to empower communities, for instance, in indigenous contexts?

We invite ethnographers, visual anthropologists, and digital scholars to share how their work illuminates not only the complexities of these crises but also potential pathways toward peace, justice, and more sustainable futures. Through these discussions, we aim to uncover how, and if, multimodal anthropology can help reshape the role of anthropology in the global arena, fostering both critical awareness and tangible action.

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