A Visual Analysis of North

Carolina’s Immigrant
Communities
Jennifer Horton
Sociology Department
Faculty Mentor: Dr. Stephen J. Sills

2007 State of North Carolina Undergraduate Research

and Creativity Symposium (SNCURCS)
Saturday November 17, 2007
 Images. They are so compelling
that we cannot not watch them.
They are so seductive that they
have revolutionized human
social communication. Oral and
written communication are in
decline because a new form of
communication, communication
by image, has emerged.
Power of Images:
Creating the Myths of Our Time
By J. Francis Davis

Recent Greensboro News and Record

image depicting Muslim women as
Jihadists.
 Introduction
• North Carolina: home to large populations of:
– Latinos
– Africans
– Southeast Asians

Visual Sociology: interdisiplinary methods

• Studies immigrant, refugee, and transnational communities
as depicted by local media (Greensboro News & Record)
 Project Goals
• This goals of the project are to:
(1) build a database of images of migrants from the
local popular press (eventually to span 1965 to
present);
(2) analyze the database looking for themes and
narratives in the portrayal of migrants;
(3) observe any changes over time in the portrayal of
migrants; and
(4) present the results in an online multi-media
presentation as well as eventually in a journal article
format.
 Data Collection Methods

• The Greensboro News and Record

was used as the primary data
source.
• Using the microfiche collection
of the Jackson Library
• Saving photographs to flash
drive
• Uploaded to Flickr.com
-tagging
-grouping
A database of over 165 images was constructed for
the period Sept. 2001 to Dec. 2006.
 Image Processing
• Images were uploaded to a Flickr account and
“tagged” or coded.

• Flickr:
– Easy indexing and searching
– Quick descriptive information
– Allows searching of tag intersection and
overlapping

FLICKR.COM
 Coding Images (aka Tagging)
• Connotation - The first level of coding considered
the intended message of the photographer, the
topic of interest in the photo, and the
accompanying story.
• Denotation - The second coding process looked
reflexively at the subtext or unintended
messages including:
– relative social/political power of migrants, gendering
of migrants, apparent stratification within
community, the evident social/cultural factors,
“othering” or “exoticizing” of foreigners, and the
reinforcement of social stereotypes.
Codes (Tags)
 Finding: Images occur sporadically or around
significant immigration-related events
40.0%

35.0%

30.0%

25.0%

20.0%

15.0%

10.0%

5.0%

0.0%
2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006
Some photographers were more
represented than others
• Kim Walker (12) The photograph is
• Lynn Hey (10) ultimately an extension
• H. Scott Hoffman (9) of the photographer not
of the technology and
• Joseph Rodriguez (7) technique of
• Nelson Kepley (7) photography.
Clem Adelman 1998. “Photocotext”
Chapter 10 in Image-based Research: A
Sourcebook for Qualitative Researchers
Jon Prosser (ed)
 Major Themes
• Hispanic male laborers (n=8) and soldiers
in US military (n=6).
 Exoticized “Others” & Cultural
Voyeurism
Hispanics are often shown in occupational
settings…. Other migrants (particularly Asians)
are shown practicing “traditional” culture
 Discussion
Post 9/11 Media Depiction of
Migrants:
While much of the
recent political debate has
depicted migrants as a threat to
the country, only a few of the Hispanic soldier pro-

images or stories in the local press

tecting the Golden Gate
Bridge from potential

have related immigrants to

terrorist attacks.

concerns over the safety and

security of the country.
Most often images
of immigrants in
the local paper
have dealt with
their struggle for
incorporation into
the community…
 Conclusions
• Stereotypical depictions:
– The low-wage worker (dangerous, dirty, difficult
jobs), the ESL student, the protest marcher, and the
“exotic other”
• Hispanics:
– As the largest immigrant group they are depicted the
most
• April – May 2006
– Images are used to depict important current events.
– By the shear number of images from this period, we
can tell that the immigrants’ rights marches were a
significant event.
 The next step…
• Next we will continue the process of collecting images
pre-2001.
• Initially we would like to compare the major themes
found post 9/11 against those of 1996 to 2001 to see the
effect 9/11 has had on the way in which immigrants are
depicted.
• We will continue collecting images (with the assistance
of students in a special Honors course at UNCG) until
we have assembled a database covering 1965 to present.
• We may then begin comparing the Greensboro News
and Record against regional papers in other areas or
against national papers like the Washington Post or the
New York Times.