Bridging the divide with participatory video

Participatory video (PV) projects have put video technology in the hands of the most marginalised in society for self-representation and social reform. PV has gained a favoured place in many development projects and has been used by non-government organisations, development workers and indeed communities themselves to foster dialogue and to instigate change and empowerment. The case study discussed here combined action research and visual ethnography to study the process of PV production and how the community's engagement in it contributes to dialogue and community building in a post-conflict society. This study found that rural women in Fiji use social capital - their relationships and social networks - as a key element in video production to highlight community needs and linkages.