Contribution short abstract:

Since 2012, the ZONE 54 project has explored ethnographic practices with Nancy's "zonards". Collaborative methods redefined researcher-participant dynamics. This participatory approach challenges traditional hierarchies, fostering shared authority and democratic ethnography.

Contribution long abstract:

Since 2012, an ethnographic work has been carried out with the ‘zonards’ of Nancy as part of the production of the photographic and sound documentary ZONE 54. This research, built around visual and collaborative practices, is based on methods designed to transform the classic dynamics of ethnography and to reflect on a sharing of ethnographic and photographic authority.

Among these methods, the presentation of all the photographs to the interlocutors played a key role. This enabled us to gather their reactions, comments and reinterpretations, thereby enriching mutual understanding. In addition, introducing the participants to photography created an active co-creation dynamic, enabling them to become agent in the construction of the visual discourse. Finally, the organisation of collaboratives exhibitions opened up spaces for public discussion, while giving equal visibility to their voices and gazes.

These practices took time and involved many stages of dialogue, but they enabled the traditional hierarchies between researcher and interlocutors to be overcome. This collaborative process thus questions the boundaries of self-reflexivity and intersubjectivity in visual anthropology, and opens up avenues for re-evaluating the epistemology of research. These participatory methods redefine the role of actors and images in the production of anthropological knowledge, contributing to a more shared and democratic ethnography.

This paper will explore the challenges of these methods, their implementation and their impact on the creation of shared and polyphonic visual narratives.