Photovoice is a community-based participatory method that invites participants to express and reflect on their experiences through photography. Since its inception in the 1990’s, this method has been used widely — from public health to migration studies — to amplify marginalized voices and inspire social change.
Overview
Rooted in Paulo Freire’s empowerment education, feminist theory, and documentary photography, Photovoice values lived experience as knowledge. Participants take and discuss photographs that capture aspects of their daily realities, turning images into powerful tools of analysis, reflection, and advocacy.
In feminist research, Photovoice helps redistribute power in the research process: participants co-create narratives, analyze themes, and shape recommendations. It enables diverse and intersectional perspectives to emerge — across gender, race, class, and ability — and connects personal stories to broader social and political structures.
Photovoice in IMBRACE
Within IMBRACE, Photovoice serves as a bridge between technical climate adaptation discourses and the embodied knowledge of migrants. Through collaborative workshops, participants reflect on their vulnerabilities and capacities in the face of climate-related health challenges and together identify collective priorities for action and policy change.