The Politics of Visibility, Voice and Anonymity: Ethically Disseminating Visual Research Findings Without the Pictures

The visual offers a range of possibilities for social research but it also brings particular challenges, and ethical guidelines do not always provide sufficient reference to the dissemination of images. Participants may want some level of anonymity, and some topics may be particularly sensitive; in such cases being visible and recognisable may not be practical, possible or ethical, both for participants and the non-consenting others they present in their accounts. Therefore, this chapter focuses on the potentialities and challenges associated with visual research dissemination and considers how we can creatively and ethically communicate our findings without using pictures