Visual Ethnography (MSc)
Are you eager to explore traditional and experimental audiovisual methods for ethnographic research? Do you consider translating your research findings into a documentary? Are you highly motivated, committed and hard working? Then Visual Ethnography is the right specialisation for you! Visual Ethnography provides an important framework, toolkit, and skillset to address the pressing concerns of Global Vulnerabilities and Social Resilience.
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Watch the video on the original website orWhat does this master's specialisation in Visual Ethnography entail?
Visual Ethnography draws upon audiovisual media’s unique ability to share insights about people and places on multiple registers – discursive, sensory, embodied, spatial, etc. Furthermore, with the growing prominence of digital media, Visual Ethnography offers an expanded framework for producing contemporary anthropological research. Multimodal approaches have become increasingly important components in ethnographic research for collaborating with research communities and expanding the range of scholarly outputs. Visual Ethnography highlights the vital role anthropology plays in the greater public.
Reasons to choose Visual Ethnography at Leiden University
- Training in how to use audio-visual methods during your master's field research;
- Know-how of audiovisual methods – from drawing and photography to sound and video recording – during each phase of the research process in order to create your own independent audiovisual research project;
- The ability to apply different media in different stages of research, producing full-length documentaries and/or combining text, image, and sound in digital multi-media environments.
Laura Ogden
Why did Laura Ogden choose for Visual Ethnography?
"After working in the arts and international development for several years, I wanted to ‘go back to school’ and get my Master in anthropology. I have always been intrigued by film and documentary-making, too, so when I discovered that Leiden’s Cultural Anthropology programme offered a Visual Ethnography specialisation, it was an obvious choice for getting a taste of filmmaking while obtaining my degree."
Laura Ogden
What do you learn in the master's specialisation in Visual Ethnography?
"The programme offers great teachers and a good mix of theory and practice; fieldwork with a camera was challenging but very enjoyable; and having a film to show to research participants, family and friends, and at festivals and conferences and has enabled me to share my research with a much wider audience, which has been incredibly satisfying."
Laura Ogden
Where do Visual Ethnography graduates work?
"I’m now doing my PhD at Maastricht University as part of the MO-TRAYL project about the transnational mobility of youth with Ghanaian background in Europe (motrayl.com). My experience with visual ethnography was one reason I got the job, and has given me the platform to start experimenting with participatory visual and digital methods with my research participants."