Abstract
This paper first provides an overview of the ways in which visual media are being used in field research, and then introduces specific examples of research conducted by the author in which digitalized visual data were used. Finally, future challenges facing visual field research are discussed.
The uses of visual media in field research can be grouped as follows: (1)the use of video recordings or visual media produced by research subjects themselves; (2)the use of such media to document field research; (3)the use of visual media as a means of conducting research; and (4)the use of visual media as a form of reporting.
With respect to the case studies of field research in which digitalized visual data have been used, I consider an example of field research conducted in Thailand in which a small-sized 8 mm video camera was used in a study on lifestyles in order to record data for a database. Second, I will discuss the production of a visual documentary of the Korean Town in Osaka, in which a steadicam was used to prepare visual documents of the neighborhood. Finally, I will discuss the production of a CD-Rom used to record oral life histories, as an attempt to document digital and hypertext interviews.
In conclusion, with respect to the development and future potential of visual field research, technical limitations that should be considered when using visual media in sociological research and the possibility of using multimedia techniques as a means to solve these problems are discussed. I will argue that more "open readings" made possible by the participation of diverse viewers are not only important when considering the visual contents produced in the process of sociological research but also necessary in participatory field research as a way to overcome the asymmetric relationship between the researcher and subject.
