Drawing - The International Encyclopedia of Anthropology

Participatory visual methods are becoming the new hype in anthropology. Researchers tend to present participatory visual methods as attractive approaches to not only promote innovative research that engages informants in original and collaborative ways but to engage students eager to find bridges between the academic world and a world progressively addicted to visual consumerism. But while still and moving image-capturing devices are being democratized as anthropological tools thanks to their recent wide availability and ease of use, some view the practice of drawing (participatory or not) as a more serendipitous niche activity. Unlike photographing and filming, doodling-sketching-drawing – participatory or not – is more about linear image mental processing and communicating (and thus somewhat akin to handwriting, lack of linguistic encoding and propositionality notwithstanding) than an " objective " visual method. Drawing thus elicits a completely different kind of comprehension of the " field " , as well as new forms of social interaction, such as the " public and open spectacle of recording " that anthropologist-draftswoman Carol Hendrickson describes (2008: 119). Based on discussions from a workshop dedicated to "drawing” in the University of Aberdeen, we propose to tackle some of the features of the drawing practice, hoping that its much-misunderstood potential as a knowledge tool helps us reconsider what anthropological understanding is.

2016

This article seeks to valorise and understand the potential of ethnographic drawings for anthropological fieldwork, exploring their relations to ways of making records and visual research. I argue that drawing contributes positively to anthropological research and vice-versa: researching anthropologically contributes to drawing the world about us. After a brief review of the literature, I present eleven benefits of using sketchbooks and drawings in ethnography, discussing topics related to the methodological challenges of fieldwork, such as accessibility, memory, temporality, spatiality, visual perception, forms of recording, dialogue with informants, participatory methods and the sharing of results.

‘The Question of Expression when Using Art as a Research Method in Anthropology: Notes for the Anthropologist-Artist’, In Carocci, M & Pratt, S (eds.), Ethnography as Art/Art as Ethnography: Art, Observation, and an Anthropology of Illustration. London: Bloomsbury Academic, pp. 23–38.

While general consensus has been reached in recent years regarding the use of visual methods in anthropology, there is still uncertainty about how creative methods can be used as a valid tool of research in such a way that provides a significant contribution to anthropological enquiry. Starting from the notion of the anthropologist as an author - an approach that follows the interpretative legacy of Clifford Geertz - this chapter moves forward to explore the practice of the anthropologist-artist, encompassing the related question of expression. In doing so, it focuses on the production of art during the post-fieldwork phase as a tool of analysis and expression of insights, which follows data collection as a process that is akin to the transition from ethnography to anthropological writing. By reflecting on the role of the anthropologist as an artist, as well as on the ‘making’ as a process that is strictly related to the topic explored, this chapter argues not only that artistic practice should derive from ethnography, but also that the researcher should reflect and account for the expressive form used to communicate specific themes. In particular, drawing from the Greimasian notion of plastic and figurative semiotics, this chapter argues that a meta-reflection on the visual expedients used to express specific ideas is needed from the author, who should also explain if and how these visual methods have contributed to the development of a context-specific authorial voice. It is suggested that only in this way is it possible to depart from a merely illustrative function of art and instead add something new to qualitative research methods, namely an interpretation, expressed visually by the researcher. To demonstrate these points, the author discusses three case studies from her doctoral studies in Nepal.

In recent years, following the example of anthropological and sociological studies, the use of visual methods for the observation and production of insights has become increasingly important in many other disciplines of social research, such as social work, social policy, health sector and education. But why can visual methods of representation be so useful in social research? This article provides an overview of the historical evolution of the visual anthropological discipline, and of the debate about the relationship between art practice and ethnographic research. It focuses on the role of art as a means of communication and, in particular, as a way of expressing inner feelings, emotions, and all those inexplicable states of mind known in philosophy as 'qualia'. The theory developed by Ricoeur on the application of text-interpretation methodology as a general paradigm for interpretation in the field of social sciences, is used here to offer a proposal for the implementation of fine art, specifically painting, as a complementary method to express anthropological insights. (166 words)

The Routledge International Handbook of Visual Research Methods in Anthropology, 2025

H. Geismar. Drawing. In Cox, R., & Wright, C. (2025). Routledge International Handbook of Visual Research Methods in Anthropology (1st ed.). Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315142784

Paper provides a short history of the use of visual imagery in social science. Delineates three categories of use: illustrative or demonstrative; film-as-artifact; ethnographic research. Each of these uses of filmic resources is placed in historical (and technological) perspective. Challenges the scientific character of most anthropological films as merely illustrative of views derived by anthropological methods that rely upon verbal discourse which embody western linguistic biases.

Visual Anthropology, 2012

Clear, scientifically accurate, and aesthetically pleasing illustrations are an indispensable part of the archaeologist’s toolkit. This course explores the history, development, and current methodology behind archaeological illustration as it applies primarily to two sample cultures, Egyptian (Old World) and Maya (New World). Students will particularly focus on epigraphy—the creation of facsimile line drawings of relief sculpture, inscriptions, and selected three-dimensional objects for publication—in both its traditional, and now overwhelmingly digital forms. Labs will furnish access to today’s computer and tablet devices, and students will gain practical experience working directly from objects in the various archaeological collections of Harvard University and beyond. No previous artistic training is assumed; basic computer skills will be expanded into the realm of archaeological illustration, 3D scanning, and vector tracing from high-resolution photographs. Classes will include meetings in Harvard’s Visualization Center, and explore the various routes to scholarly “publication” in the widest sense of the word.

Athens Journal of Social Sciences, 2021

In its development of one hundred years, anthropology evolved from travelogues of explorers to in-depth exploration of human from all possible angles. In its every venture, anthropologists were/are always in try to get closer to cultural affairs and dive deeper into human subjectivity. To achieve these purposes a series of theories and methods were developed, which served a lot, but with time it was also felt that readers idea of a research is anchored with and limited within the textual analysis written by the researcher. This dependency on the text was (and still) restricting the researcher to convey an actual image of the studied phenomenon, and also confining the readers from exploring their subjective self in finding meaning. The emergence of using visual aids in anthropology during the 90s opened a pathway for the researcher to make their researched visible to the audience. This visibility opens up many scopes of interpretation that are hitherto invisible. Though, researchers of other disciplines started the use of visual way before anthropologists. But its efficiency in transmitting meaning soon pulled the attention of anthropological social researchers. Since then, visual in anthropology has evolved in its use and presently one of the frontrunning methods in anthropological research. This article is systematically reviewing the history to present of visual anthropology with reference to theoretical development and practical use of the same.