Abstract
Given the increase of gun violence in the United States, teachers are left with the added obligation of helping students process traumatic events. The present study seeks to address the following questions: What are some ways in which students process grief through arts-based methods? What can we observe through photovoice, a community-based method that uses photography, about the perceptions of six LGBTQ + students at a predominantly white institution after the Pulse Massacre? The study consisted of semi-structured focus group interviews with these students, all of whom spent a week creating photos in response to the tragedy. In order to understand the depth of how stories may have oppositional counter-stories, we look to narrative inquiry and find intersectionality and colorblind intersectionality at play. Implications for practice, policy, and research are included.
Acknowledgments
Special thanks go to everyone who heard parts of this research through brown bag talks and at conferences, and provided us with generous feedback that helped shape this manuscript. Dr. Suárez would like to thank Dr. Luis Leyva for his exposure to various theories of intersectionality, as well as Dr. Cheryl Craig for feedback on narrative inquiry.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).
Additional information
Funding
Notes on contributors
Mario I. Suárez
Mario I. Suárez is an Assistant Professor of Cultural Studies in the School of Teacher Education and Leadership at Utah State University.
Lobat Asadi
Lobat Asadi is a doctoral student at Texas A&M University in the Department of Teaching, Learning and Culture.
Peter Scaramuzzo
Peter Scaramuzzo is a doctoral student at Texas A&M University in the Department of Teaching, Learning and Culture.
Patrick Slattery
Patrick Slattery is Professor and Associate Department Head for Graduate Studies in the Department of Teaching, Learning and Culture at Texas A&M University.
Chad R. Mandala
Chad R. Mandala is a doctoral student in The Institute of Higher Education at the University of Georgia.