Linda Hopkins Coaching

Elli and I met at an ‘Ecclesiology and Ethnography’ conference a couple of years ago. She had presented a paper on her research which I had missed because I was listening to another one! Over one of the many conversations that you have over meal times and coffee breaks at these conferences someone said to me, have you met Elli – her research is similar to yours, you really should speak to her? We only had a brief conversation as it was towards the end of the conference but there was plenty of synergy between us in what we were doing and how we were doing it in our research projects. We talked about having a go at writing a journal article together, sharing our common methods and showing their value in theological research. Neither of us had done this before but the thought of writing with someone else made it seem less daunting. It was a really positive experience for me, and I hope Elli too. The article went ‘live’ just before Christmas, and if you’ve got University library access you can read it here: https://brill.com/view/journals/ep/7/2/article-p163_163.xml

Photo Elicitation and Photovoice: How Visual Research Enables Empowerment, Articulation and Dis-Articulation. Eleanor Wort & Linda Hopkins. Ecclesial Practices Vol 7 Issue 2 Dec 2020 p163-186

Abstract:

Photo elicitation and photovoice are valuable tools for researchers of churches and congregations. Photo elicitation and photovoice empower participants, turning them from passive objects of study into emancipated co-creators of research and empowered co-creators of data. We used photo elicitation and photovoice in our separate studies of understandings of communion among young Baptists and understandings of culture among church leaders in Hull. Although our research areas were very different, we found similarities in the way that images can empower participants and in doing so, enable them to be both articulate and dis-articulate, arguing that this dis-articulation is valuable in discussions of belief and experience.