Using The Documentary Method as a Tool for Analyzing Images - How to Examine Drawings and Words in a Zine About The World of Social Networks?

The visual element has become an increasingly dominant feature of contemporary society, playing a significant role in the lives of children and adolescents. These individuals utilize their bodies, whether through photography or dance, to express their unique cultural practices within the context of social media. These visual representations, which serve as aspects of their daily lives, facilitate communication and self-expression among peers. Consequently, a comprehensive study of these visual presentations is imperative to understand their role in the lives of young people. The use of images in the communication of daily life among young people signifies that their worldview, social reality, and experiences are not solely represented by images, but rather, "are in fact constituted and brought into being through the production of images" (Bohnsack, 2011, p. 28). This phenomenon, occurring at a pre-reflective level, is characterized by the internalization and mimetic appropriation of actions, gestures, and facial expressions, which are then interpreted as images.To illustrate this concept, consider the action of raising one's hand and waving it in greeting. This gesture is understood as a cultural sign, and the manner in which it is responded to reflects an accumulation of cultural knowledge.This example demonstrates how human actions influence experiences and communication. As Panofsky (1972) astutely observed, "Everyone can recognize the form and actions of human beings, animals and plants, and everyone can distinguish an angry face from a cheerful one" (p. 9). However, images are continually excluded from the research process, even in the humanities, where an obvious hierarchy subordinates them to writing. As Bohnsack (2013) explains, "what is 'outside the field of language and text is usually tacitly excluded from the social sciences; that is, excluded from methodology and also from theories of action without further justification" (p. 130). This exclusion can be attributed, in part, to a lack of understanding of the concepts of simultaneity and sequentiality that underpin it.Sequential social interaction, both in text and verbal language, occurs through the very process of social interaction between peers. However, this sequentiality is not found in images: As Bohnsack, Burkard, and Przyborski (2015) point out, the fundamental organizing principle of the image is its simultaneous structure. Consequently, when employing the Documentary Method to analyze images, the focus should be on the simultaneity of the elements that comprise the image and the manner in which they are presented. As Bohnsack (2011) points out, the difference between the interpretation of images and texts lies in the inherent simultaneity of image semantics. This characteristic prevents the fixation of image semantics in specific parts or sections, as is commonly done when selecting excerpts from conversations. Consequently, the concurrent reconstruction of the image facilitates the access and comprehension of the tacit and a-theoretical knowledge inherent in the images. This is due to the fact that "[...] knowledge that is not directly explicable to the actors, and as such underlies all social (inter)action" (Pfaff; Bohnsack; Weller, 2010, p. (Pfaff; Bohnsack; Weller, 2010, p. 21) is revealed in the visual data that presents the orientations and actions of young people, which can often take the form of a graphic mixture of drawing and words in the overall composition of the images, as is the case with zines or fanzines, as these publications are popularly known. The unconventional layout of these media unveils a scenic dramaturgy that illustrates the actions and orientations of their producers through drawings and words, presented in their images. However, the term "zine" remains ambiguous. Zines are media that have a tradition of challenging mainstream culture. These publications serve as conduits for not only individuals' personal perspectives but also as vehicles for collective and generational voices. Since their inception, zines have been subject to misinterpretation by the dominant culture. However, their slogan, "do it yourself," has consistently garnered the attention of young people and their social groups. Therefore, as Duncombe (2008) has noted, this "do-it-yourself" principle is evident in the following statement: "[...] make your own culture and stop consuming what is made for you" (p. 07), this publication serves as a tool of resistance in the context of youth culture. It has been adapted for the classroom setting in a public school located in the Federal District, which is situated thirty kilometers from the center of Brasília. The objective of this presentation is to utilize the image of a zine edition as a model to illustrate the application of the stages of analysis of the Documentary Method (Bohnsack, 2011, 2013) with the aim of developing a simultaneous analysis of the general composition of this image, which is comprised of illustrations and words. The investigation's primary challenge lies in comprehending the distinctiveness of these images, presented by the students, which are revealed in a concurrent and non-sequential manner within this visual data. In this data, the students have identified a medium to disseminate their critiques, expressions, and collective actions. REFERENCE BOHNSACK, Ralf. Qualitative Bild- und Videointerpretarion. Opladen; Framington Hills: Barbara Budrich, 2011. BOHNSACK, Ralf. A interpretação de imagens segundo o método documentário. In: WELLER, Wivian; PFAFF, Nicolle (orgs.). Metodologias da pesquisa qualitativa em Educação: teoria e prática. Petrópolis-RJ: Vozes, 2013. p. 114-134. BOHNSACK, Ralf. Rekonstruktive Sozialforschung – Einführung in qualitative Methoden. Barbara Budrich, 2014. BOHNSACK, Ralf; BURKARD Michel; PRZYBORSKI, Aglaja. Dokumentarische Bildinterpretation: methodologie und forschungspraxis. Verlag Barbara Budrich, 2015. BOHNSACK, Ralf; WELLER, Wivian. O método documentário na análise de grupos de discussão. In: WELLER, Wivian; PFAFF, Nicolle (orgs.). Metodologias da pesquisa qualitativa em Educação: teoria e prática. Petrópolis-RJ: Vozes, 2013. p. 67-86. DUNCOMBE, Stephen. Notes from the underground: Zines and the politics of alternative culture. New York: Verso, 2008. PANOFSKY, Erwin. Studies in Iconology – Humanistic Themes in the Art of the Renaissence. Icon Editions, 1972. PFAFF, Nicolle; BOHNSACK, Ralf; WELLER, Wivian. Reconstructive research and the documentary method in Brazilian and German educational science: an introduction. In: PFAFF, Nicolle; BOHNSACK, Ralf; WELLER, Wivian (ed.). Qualitative analysis and documentary method in international educational research. Opladen: B. Budrich, 2010, p. 7-38. Disponível em: https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:0168-ssoar-317302. Acesso em: 15 ago. 2022.