In 2009, as a doctoral student, I embarked on a research project to better understand how Black college students made meaning of their collegiate experiences. My goal was to gain deeper insights into their lived realities and to assist college and university administrators in creating more effective practices and policies to support Black student success. I wanted to ensure that Black people were seen—not misunderstood, ignored, or silenced. Moreover, my dissertation committee challenged me to move beyond traditional interviews to gather these insights, prompting me to explore other research methods and techniques. I began immersing myself in the literature on visual methods and explored how scholars in fields both inside and outside of higher education employed visual methodologies to examine various phenomena. Yet, it quickly became apparent that examples of visual methods applied to the experiences of college students were scant, and even fewer focused on Black students specifically. I...
Foreword: A Necessary Shift to a Photovoice That Centers Blackness
Brian L. McGowan, PhD, is Professor of Education at American University. Dr. McGowan’s interdisciplinary research examines the intersections of race and gender, exploring how students and faculty navigate the complexities of higher education. His research also examines the interpersonal relationships, identity development, and retention of Black college men. He is currently engaged in research projects that employ photovoice and photo-elicitation to understand Black college student experiences. Dr. McGowan has published two co-edited books and more than 40 scholarly publications; and procured over $2 million in external funding from the National Science Foundation and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.
Brian L. McGowan; Foreword: A Necessary Shift to a Photovoice That Centers Blackness. Departures in Critical Qualitative Research 1 March 2025; 14 (1): 1–3. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/dcqr.2025.14.1.1
Download citation file: