Collaborative storytelling A reflexive approach

This chapter explores the possibilities and limitations of placing collaboration at the center of camera-based ethnographic research. It examines how collaborative approaches to filmmaking alter fieldwork dynamics by reconfiguring the roles of the ethnographer and research participants. We assess how collaborative filmmaking can effectively address systemic imbalances through ethical, relational, and reflexive practices while acknowledging its limitations. Collaborative filmmaking actively seeks to transform the act of “speaking about” collaborators into a creative process of “speaking with. “We argue that this approach demands critical reflexivity, recognizing the positionalities and relationships between the researcher and interlocutors as essential to the storytelling process. We critically address how collaboration can challenge historical power imbalances in research, particularly in contexts like disability studies, in which collaboration may devolve into superficial partnerships that comply with established academic norms. By emphasizing that collaborative filmmaking should not be viewed merely as an ethical stance but as a dynamic practice that requires continuous negotiation and adaptation, this practice seeks to remain open to alternative ways of knowing. Ultimately, the text stresses that discomfort and tension, inherent in collaborative work, should be embraced as opportunities to question and explore deeper issues in the filmmaking and research process.