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Studying Creativity as a Social Process: The Use of Subjective Cameras

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The Palgrave Handbook of Social Creativity Research

Part of the book series: Palgrave Studies in Creativity and Culture ((PASCC))

Abstract

The study of creativity as a social phenomenon needs to take into account process and context. Subjective cameras, small devices placed at eye level, recording video and audio the participant’s “first person perspective” in the ongoing activity, represents a useful technological and methodological innovation within creativity research. This method is particular valuable for the study of “social creativity” since it enables researchers to explore, within creative action, moments of repositioning, of dialogue between perspectives, and it also cultivates reflexivity. This chapter introduces first the sociocultural theory behind the use of subjective cameras, then the methodological steps specific for conducting “subjective evidence-based ethnographies”. In the end, final considerations on the relation between theory and method within social creativity research are offered.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Webster University Geneva, Bellevue, Switzerland

    Vlad Petre Glăveanu

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  1. Vlad Petre Glăveanu
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Correspondence to Vlad Petre Glăveanu .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Psychology, University of Wrocław, Wrocław, Poland

    Izabela Lebuda

  2. Department of Psychology, Webster University Geneva, Bellevue, Switzerland

    Vlad Petre Glăveanu

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Glăveanu, V.P. (2019). Studying Creativity as a Social Process: The Use of Subjective Cameras. In: Lebuda, I., Glăveanu, V.P. (eds) The Palgrave Handbook of Social Creativity Research. Palgrave Studies in Creativity and Culture. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-95498-1_11

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