Images of culture: participatory video, identity and empowerment

Abstract

Drawing on recent fieldwork in Brazil and Portugal, ‘participatory video’ is critically evaluated as a tool for anthropological research and empowerment. While questions of ‘image’ and ‘identity’ stand out as a major concern of the video workshops discussed, it is suggested that awareness-raising is the ultimate objective of audiovisual methods within a ‘shared anthropology’ that seeks not only to produce scientific knowledge, but also to acquire political relevance.