Through a Lens of Connection

Abstract

A paradigm shift within academia, and visual anthropology in particular, calls researchers to attune their lenses of human connection—vis-à-vis their digital lens and epistemologies. This paper will argue the potential of contemporary visual anthropology—employed as a community-based research methodology, form of knowledge mobilisation, and pedagogical tool—to challenge hegemonic asymmetrical power dynamics in dominant discourse and praxis. Through personal anecdotes conducting participatory research alongside counterparts in Peru and Panama, I will illuminate the ways in which applied visual anthropology bridges academic-public divides and cultivates intentional relations through its transdisciplinary, collaborative, and transformative agendas.