Abstract

LIEBEL, Vinícius. Between meanings and interpretations: notes on documentary image analysis. ETD [online]. 2011, vol.12, n.02, pp.172-189. ISSN 1676-2592.

This paper discusses some of the possibilities in qualitative analyses of pictures, especially those of the documentary method, developed by Ralf Bohnsack. The text is based on a paper presented at the German Brazilian conference on Qualitative Research, which was held at Campinas, Berlin and Gottingen. It concentrates on the presentation of the above-mentioned methodology and on its empirical uses, particularly in History and Political Science. As the study of pictorial sources is still underexplored in these two disciplines, the documentary method fills a methodological gap in the treatment of these documents. Its application is demonstrated in this paper through one exemplar analysis. The selected picture - a political cartoon from the German weekly newspaper Der Stürmer (1923-45) - not only answers this purpose but also opens new discussions about the nature of the picture and its producers. From this analysis, the method can be comprehensibly exposed and evaluated.

Keywords : Qualitative Methodologies; Documentary Method; Analysis of Pictures; Political Cartoons; Political History.

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