Framing Safety Project: Photographs and Narratives by Battered Women

• NCJ Number: 211965
• Journal: Violence Against Women Volume: 11 Issue: 11 Dated: November 2005 Pages: 1396-1419
• Author(s): Lisa Frohmann
• Date Published: November 2005
• Length: 24 pages
• Publication Format: Article
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Special Issue on Bringing Women's Voices to the Center: Innovative Methods in Violence Against Women Research, Part 2.

Annotation

This article describes the Framing Safety Project developed to do collaborative, community action/education research with battered women about the meaning of safety in their lives.

Abstract

The project is built on the use of participant-generated photographs and photo-elicitation interviews as methods for exploring with women, in support group settings, the meanings of violence in their lives and their approaches to creating safer spaces. This article offers some preliminary reflections on the value of this alternative methodology for addressing violence. The project consists of three phases: (1) recruiting groups to participate which came from support groups from two agencies in Chicago; (2) inviting participants to create a photography exhibit of their images and narratives; and (3) inviting all the participants to participate in an in-depth life history interview about the violence in their lives and their safekeeping strategies. Future intentions of the project are to expand participant groups to include same-sex couples and persons of racial and ethnic groups and nationalities. Project limitations and considerations are presented and discussed. References