The Art and Politics of Participant-Driven Photo-Elicitation With Muslim Immigrant Older Women

Photo elicitation is a powerful data collection tool that involves using photographs within an interview encounter to articulate, expand on and uncover experiences of the social world. Between 2020 and 2022, 41 Muslim immigrant older women between the ages of 54 and 85 were recruited via community liaisons in an Urban Canadian setting to participate in a qualitative descriptive photo elicitation study on social connectedness. We explore methodological and ethical considerations of using photo elicitation in narrative interviews with Muslim older women with a focus on: (1) selection and access to photographs, (2) informed consent, (3) shared meaning-making, (4) politics of a photograph, and (5) digital opportunities within a pandemic. The discussion highlights the ways gender, age and religion intersect to influence decision-making during research activities.