Abstract
This chapter starts with a detailed examination of the explorative phase involved in my empirical research. In this part, I flesh out the theoretical and methodological frames of this proposal for visual research. While retaining as the centre of analysis the single case study, which was the focus of Chap. 2, the ideas in this chapter and in the following one (Chap. 4) represent a theoretical starting point for those interested in developing a visual approach in green criminology. Keeping itself open to interdisciplinary attitudes and to methodological contamination, I propose a method that sees the visual experience of the social world in action as its most central and qualifying moment.
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- 1.
Harper (2012: 66) writes: “The aerial and eye-level views can be seen as metaphors for theories that identify overall patterns of social life (functionalism; conflict theory) and those that examine the same reality from the inside (symbolic interaction; ethnography). In the aerial photos we see structure that implies human agency and action. The eye-level view shows the presentation of self and the organization of action within a specific setting.” Harper (2012: 70) adds: “The aerial perspective may be most interesting because it reminds us that what we see is a matter of how we look at it. Our knowledge, our values and our data are a product of seeing. When we radically change it, we come to new conclusions.”
- 2.
On the basis of some “tricks of the trade” proposed by Becker (1998), I use the image of the hot air balloon as a tool for acquiring knowledge. Janesick (2000) highlights the importance of developing and perfecting qualitative methods that are open and at the same time rigorous, and sees the metaphor as a useful tool for thinking of methods of research capable of capturing the shades and complexities of the observed world. She writes: “those who can use imagination in their work will be a significant force in shaping future research projects” (Janesick 2000: 397).
- 3.
Brisman (2014: 23, emphasis in original) writes: “If we take the analysis of environmental crime to be solely an experimental science in search of law, then green criminology’s ambit is rather limited. If, however, we consider the analysis of environmental crime to include interpretation, as well as explanation and prediction, then green criminology’s scope is much broader, its potential much greater and its significance far more profound.”
- 4.
See Chap. 2.
- 5.
Furthermore, when taking photographs for the purpose of photo elicitation interviews, one need not ignore “background noises” (see also Auyero and Swistun 2009). Instead, such “noises” or “interferences” enhance the interview by providing further heuristic tools approaching that reality.
- 6.
The expression “social object” refers to the radical interactionist perspective that informs my approach (see Athens 2002).
- 7.
Ferrell and Van de Voorde (2010: 47) explain: “As with W. Eugene Smith’s years in Pittsburgh or Minamata, as with Robert Capa’s years in the Spanish Civil War or Indochina, the decisive moment emerges from the countless moments of cultural immersion and human commitment that have preceded it.” On the use of documentary photographs, see W.E. Smith and A. Smith (1975); see also Harper (2012).
- 8.
Bourdieu (2007) describes the complex reflexive work that the social scientist must perform continually over the delicate interweaving between observation of the social worlds and self-observation of experiences lived by himself/herself.
- 9.
The field notes convey a “naturalistic” or “thin” description in terms of narrative style. Field notes usually describe in detail the path followed by the researcher and can be considered a “simple” collection of information, observations, events and actions seen or heard directly by the researcher (see Gobo 2001: 134–135). Accordingly, they lack the metalanguage of the social sciences (e.g., expressions such as “social actors,” “social interaction,” “interpretation of the situation” will not be used).
- 10.
In the field of visual sociology, the comparison between “before” and “here and now” can be captured by the technique called “rephotography” or “chrono-photography,” which enables one to reveal environmental continuity or change (see Harper 2012: 91–98; Parmeggiani 2006: 16; see also Anzoise et al. 2005).
- 11.
On this point, see Barthes (2000 [1980]) and Chap. 6.
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Natali, L. (2016). Ways of Looking at the Elephant in the Room: A First Visual Exploration. In: A Visual Approach for Green Criminology. Palgrave Studies in Green Criminology. Palgrave Pivot, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-54668-5_3
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