Learning about Community Leadership: Fusing Methodology and Pedagogy to Learn about the Lives of Settlement Women

Abstract

This study presents a practical application of photography and drawing to a qualitative study on community building and leadership in a South African settlement. The article describes how the researcher and participants used visual data that the participants in the study produced for a collaborative nonformal education workshop on community building. Using their own photographs and drawings, the women evaluated their shared leadership roles and contributions to community building. The sharing of their own experiences created opportunities for collaboration among women who were divided along ethnic, cultural, and political lines. The fusion of methodology and pedagogy brought about a better understanding of power relationships and its effect on women's development. The study presents the research and educational potential of photography and drawing as data source and material for learning.