The zine method as a form of qualitative analysis

This chapter brings forward the possibility of capturing creativity and human experience through a visual ethnography approach, applying the use of ‘zines’ as a means of capturing individual engagement with a process. Zines (small (maga) zines) have roots in the do-it-yourself movement. The idea and use of the zine has emerged over time, from the early leaflets and pamphlets produced by independent publishers in the late eighteenth century, to the amateur press movement of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, to the subculture of fandom that emerged in the 1930s in science fiction, to spread later to the punk and riot grrrl movements. Zines operate at the intersection of art and activism, spanning the spectrum of social justice issues such as ecology, tenant’s rights, disability and political activism. This continues in current times in which they have also become tools for expression by individuals whose voices might otherwise remain silent such as adolescent girls writing against gender, race and class stereotypes. Whilst acknowledging the lineage of zines as a form of social action, in this chapter we focus on ‘the zine method’ for use within the research process in the data collection and analysis stage. By zine method we mean the design response of the ‘zine’ as a means for self-reflection and to improve communication

Chapter in the book: Beyond Text Learning through Arts-Based Research. Editors: Adams, Jeff, Owens, Allan.