CHILD‐CENTERED? THINKING CRITICALLY ABOUT CHILDREN'S DRAWINGS AS A VISUAL RESEARCH METHOD

Abstract

Children’s drawings have gained renewed interest as anthropologists and other researchers search for methods that align with the current conceptualization of children as social agents and cultural producers. In this article, based upon fieldwork in the Central Philippines, I critically examine the claim that drawing is a “child-centered” research technique. In particular, I discuss adult–child power relationships and ethical issues that arise when asking children and youth to draw, assumptions about using children’s drawings as a means of understanding their perspectives, and the use of drawings as a tool of child and youth empowerment.

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