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Home > HCAS > HCAS_PUBS > HCAS_JOURNALS > TQR Home > TQR > Vol. 29 > No. 8 (2024)

 

Abstract

In the present paper, we draw upon our research, entitled Puppy Philms, to guide researchers who are interested in queering cellphilming methodologies. In this context, “queering” refers to the process of challenging and disrupting heteronormative roles and perspectives within research practices. We argue that taking a queer poststructural approach to virtual cellphilming helped us shift this project away from typical academic relations of power, towards participant-driven research as activism. In emphasizing flexibility, reflexivity, a desire for partnership and community building, we found queer communication to be a mechanism through which we could shift power and drive levels of engagement. In considering the continued stigma associated with pup play, queer poststructuralism theories allow cellphilms to disrupt traditional norms, both societal and academic norms. We found that cellphilming is particularly suited for the study of queer eroticism because participants can control the narrative, deliver a more nuanced understanding of the experiences portrayed, and claim legitimacy through association with an arts-based participatory research project.

Keywords

puppy play, cellphilming, queer theory, post-structuralism, artistic activism

Author Bio(s)

Kinda Wassef holds a master’s degree in Public Health from Université de Montréal, with a major in health promotion and prevention. She is passionate about health equity and is particularly interested in mental health, sexual health, and harm reduction strategies for substance use in 2S/LGBTQIA+ communities. Please direct correspondence to kinda.wassef@msvu.ca

Olivia Bonardi holds a B.Sc. from McGill University and is working towards completing her M.D. at UMass Chan School of Medicine. She is interested in research which harnesses peer support and artistic activism to improve health outcomes for socially marginalized communities.

Dr. Megan Aston is a Nursing Professor at Dalhousie University. She has taught community and family health nursing, and her research uses a social justice lens that focuses on relationships between clients/families/communities, health care professionals, and the health care system, primarily in the areas of postpartum care. In her spare time, she enjoys painting and camping.

Dr. Olivier Ferlatte is an assistant professor at l’École de santé publique de l’Université de Montréal and a research scientist at the Centre de recherche en santé publique (CReSP). His research focuses on the relationship between stigma, substance use and mental health among 2S/LGBTQIA+ communities.

Dr. Phillip Joy is an assistant professor at Mount Saint Vincent University. His research focuses on gender and sexuality within health. He uses arts-based methodologies, such as photovoice, cell-philming, and comics that can disrupt the foundations of health research by involving the emotions, the senses, and the creativity of participants. Check out his projects at: https://phillipjoy.ca/index.html

Acknowledgements

The authors would like to thank the participants whose cellphilms, words, and involvement in this project have contributed to our understanding of cellphilming methods within puppy play communities.

Publication Date

8-24-2024

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

DOI

10.46743/2160-3715/2024.6661

ORCID ID

0009-0004-6379-3033

ResearcherID

IZD-5785-2023

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