O Estrangeiro No Meu Celular: conducting remote research in a community of self-construction

[this piece is published by ReVista - Harvard Review of Latin America]

“I took this photo from the rooftop of the small three-story building where I live. I wanted to take an overview of the entire neighborhood,” a resident explains to me via WhatsApp, “because I feel respected in all the places I pass… someone always knows me.” The community pictured is Chapada do Rio Vermelho, an urban neighborhood of more than 20,000 residents in Salvador da Bahia, Brazil. Serving as the colonial capital of Brazil for more than 200 years, Salvador is today one of Latin America’s oldest and most picturesque cities.”

Photograph by Participant #3, resident of Chapada do Rio Vermelho. The image, taken from atop the resident’s home, is intended to portray the “entire neighborhood” as an environment where the participant feels respected. [via ReVista]