Backroom Research

I wish I had been introduced to Image-Based and Documentary Analysis earlier in my academic career. I’ve always shied away from the idea of performing my own research project – largely because I’ve never really been comfortable with the research methods I assumed would have been expected of me. But something about these really appeals to me.  I could totally see myself approaching a topic in this way.

Concerning Knight’s comment that, “this research is so new in social science that there is little to guide the researcher” (p. 102); I think this might be a large part of the draw for me. Knight gives a number of examples of both image-based and documentary analysis projects that seem to be developed very (in relation to other methods we’ve looked at so far) specifically for the topic being studied. It seems to imply to me that there is the opportunity within this new(er) research method to have more leeway in the customization of your methods to best suit your inquiry.

I also like how it emphasizes the connections between “the image, the conditions of production and the meanings that audiences might have attached to them” (Knight, p. 104). The ability to bring this sort of analysis into a study seems to really open up possibilities for discovery.  Also, it seems kind of fun. What do you guys think?