Visual Narratives, Photovoice and Meth Use in Rural Alabama: A Case Study of Alice

The signs and symbols of recognizable stories within scenes framed by photographs are capable of creating narration. Symbols of cultural types (e.g., the homeless, drug addicts, gang members) can be mobilized in photographs in the same way that storytellers mobilize them through words. The photograph can either reinforce or challenge dominant cultural narratives depending on what is included and excluded in the frame, and how the image is captioned. Here, we report findings from an ethnographic study of meth users in rural Alabama that incorporates a photovoice component where meth users captured their own images to tell their stories of different moments of their lives; including those times that center on meth use (e.g., obtaining meth, using it, and being high) and those times that do not (e.g., family and work life). The implications of photovoice for the emerging field of narrative criminology are discussed.