A note on visual methodologies for Housing Studies students

A note on visual methodologies for Housing Studies students (information from perplexity.ai)

My question 1: "Highlight the main ideas of visual methodologies and the main research methods in visual methodologies, in the context of Housing Studies dissertation projects."

The reply: "Visual methodologies emphasize using images like photographs, videos, and art to capture lived experiences, challenge stereotypes, and empower participants in social research, particularly for vulnerable housing-related groups such as the homeless or subdivided flat residents.

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Core Ideas

Visual methods enrich qualitative data by revealing subjective meanings, spatial relationships, and emotional dimensions that words alone cannot convey. In Housing Studies, they highlight socio-spatial realities, such as neighborhood perceptions or productive home uses, bridging architecture and social sciences for policy insights. These approaches promote participant agency, turning research into activism against housing injustices like gentrification.

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Key Methods

• Photovoice: Participants take photos of their environments (e.g., subdivided flats or homeless spaces), followed by discussions to narrate experiences and drive change.
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• Photo-elicitation interviewing (PEI): Researcher or participant photos prompt deeper interviews, uncovering hidden aspects of housing life like daily routines.
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• Visual mapping and drawing: Maps or sketches define relationships in housing (e.g., productive vs. domestic spaces) or resident perceptions of neighborhoods.
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• Art-based methods: Drawings, clay modeling, or axonometric models provide psychological insights into housing challenges, accessible for low-literacy groups.
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• Professional/participatory photography: Combines outsider observations with insider views for layered stories on home liveability.
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Dissertation Applications

In Housing Studies dissertations, these methods integrate with mixed designs—pairing visuals with observations or interviews—to analyze flat conditions or policy impacts. They suit ethical research with marginalized groups, fostering self-representation while addressing representation and consent issues. Outcomes support holistic recommendations, like urban policy reforms, by visualizing inequalities."

My question 2: "What are the main research philosophies (e.g. positivism, interpretivism, pragmatism or critical realism) usually endorsed by visual methodologies in Housing Studies?"

The reply: "Visual methodologies in Housing Studies typically align with interpretivist and constructionist philosophies, emphasizing subjective meanings and participant-constructed realities in housing experiences like homelessness or urban living.

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Primary Philosophies

Interpretivism dominates visual methods by prioritizing lived experiences and multiple realities, using images to elicit personal narratives on housing conditions rather than objective measures. Constructionism complements this, viewing housing phenomena as socially constructed through visuals that reveal cultural and contextual interpretations.

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Secondary Alignments

Pragmatism supports mixed visual approaches in dissertations, blending images with quantitative data for practical housing policy insights without rigid ontological commitments. Critical realism appears less frequently but fits transformative visual methods, like photovoice, to uncover underlying housing inequalities and mechanisms.

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Housing Studies Context

Positivism rarely endorses visual methodologies due to their qualitative focus, though some hybrid uses occur for pattern identification in spatial housing data. These philosophies enhance dissertation rigor by matching visual ethics—participant voice and representation—to ontological assumptions."

My question 3: "What have been the recent theoretical and methodological development in visual methodologies over the past 8 years?"

The reply: "Visual methodologies have evolved significantly since 2017, integrating digital technologies, ethical reflexivity, and interdisciplinary approaches to address complex social realities. Recent developments emphasize participatory and multimodal methods, driven by advancements in AI, mobile devices, and post-digital contexts.

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Theoretical Advances

Theoretical frameworks have shifted toward posthumanism and affect theory, viewing visuals as entangled with non-human elements like algorithms or environments rather than solely human interpretations. Critical visual methodologies now prioritize decolonial and activist lenses, challenging power in image production and representation, especially post-2020 amid global crises like pandemics. Pragmatic integrations with critical realism have grown, enabling layered analyses of underlying social structures through visuals.

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Methodological Innovations

Digital methods have surged, including smartphone-based photovoice, AI-assisted image analysis, and virtual reality ethnographies for immersive data collection. Multimodal approaches combine visuals with sensory data (e.g., sound, haptics) in "sensory visual methods," expanding beyond static images. Ethical protocols have advanced, focusing on consent in participatory image-making and algorithmic biases in visual data processing.

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Housing Studies Relevance

In Housing Studies dissertations, these developments support hybrid designs analyzing digital housing visualizations (e.g., VR tours of informal settlements) alongside traditional photo-elicitation for policy critique. Recent works apply them to post-pandemic housing precarity, using AI-enhanced mapping for spatial inequalities."