After hearing how well the photovoice methods used by our Alternative Security Review research partners at Coventry University worked, Rethinking security’s Outreach Coordinator ran a similar project called Visualising Security with our supporters and friends. The results are now on our website. Here, Joanna Frew provides a personal reflection on the project and its findings.
Over the spring and summer, I hosted a series of small group discussions online as part of a project called Visualising Security. This project was one aspect of Rethinking Security’s Alternative Security Review. It was based on the photovoice method used by our research team but was for our members, supporters and their networks to get involved in a creative and engaging way, telling stories of what the images they chose said about (in)security. The discussions were often personal and always reflective, allowing participants to respond to others’ images as well as tell their own story.
The participants were all connected to Rethinking Security in some way – whether that is because they are involved, know someone who is, or just follow us on social media – so we couldn’t claim that we included a cross-section of society to make this unbiased research. But that wasn’t the point. The aim was to allow those who might already think about the big issues of peace and justice some time to reflect on why that’s important to them, how they really define security, and perhaps even discover something new or long forgotten about what motivates them to remain active on issues of peace and justice. Others who heard about it through friends and may not have given security much thought were also a welcome part of the project and brought interesting perspectives to the discussion.
You can see the results and read people’s reflections in our new online gallery, but here are some of my own reflections on the discussions.
Basic needs
We are all human and no matter how principled or active the participants in Visualising Security were, the most-often articulated definitions of security in the discussions were a safe home and connection to others. Whether it be family, neighbours, local communities or other groups, good relationships gave a sense of security and well-being. One of the most intriguing images of this was of the mycelium, the underground network that trees and plants use to communicate with each other. This unseen activity is what holds ecosystems together. In the same way, societies are kept together by fairly unremarkable connections, not necessarily noticed until they stop working and societies break apart.
As for homes, the value of a safe home was often raised in relation to having experienced or supported others who have experienced insecure housing. This serves as a reminder to the privileged political establishment that if one does not encounter the insecurities that many people face, it is harder to understand the impact that some policy decisions may have.
Other personal feelings of security were shared, such as finding inner peace through meditation or being able to travel. Although these might seems like opposites, to me they speak of the same thing. An autonomy over ones bodily movement, a freedom to come and go, as well as the freedom to not go: to find stillness and peace. Many live without such freedoms and the drain on energy, which allows us to enjoy life, must have an impact. You can see more on this in the extreme circumstances of northwest Iraq from our project with IDS.
Our environment and climate change
Some people shared images that spoke to them of their fears about climate change. Specifically, what they perceive as a widespread lack of understanding about society’s impact on the environment. This was often juxtaposed with a sense of security from being in the natural world, having access to nutritious food or being able to do something for the environment, whether that be growing veg or installing solar panels.
There were also anxieties shared about the damage war and conflict do to the planet.
War, conflict and insecurity
It’s probably no surprise, given the demographic, that a number of participants raised war and conflict as insecurities that they think about a lot. What was interesting was the different aspects of it that were raised by individuals – surveillance and the ever-present threat of drones, disconnections created by borders, experiences of the Manchester Arena bombing and the impact on the local community. All of these are serious issues that dwell in the minds of ordinary people. There was no mention of the threat of supposed ‘enemy’ states, simply that conflict and militarised security is detrimental to feelings of safety.
Greed, inequality and corruption
An image I particularly liked was the ‘pillars of insecurity’, using the concept of the pillars of society to explain a sense of insecurity about the “corrupt core” of the UK. It referenced the greed of big business and its influence on politics.
Inequality was also raised as a problem that produces insecurity. In the experience of one participant from the US, gun violence was the result.
Final reflection
If, for many, security is found in connection, then insecurity is often a product of disconnection: a lack of understanding about our interconnectedness to the natural world, a disregard for the humanity of others.
Images of people, of place, of our place in nature were a convincing collection of pictures that speak to the importance of meeting needs at a deep human level before we can say that security exists in our societies and in the world.
The views and opinions expressed in posts on the Rethinking Security blog are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position of the network and its broader membership.
Image Credit: Leonie Mills-Woanya, Rethinking Security
