Comfort Activism: Online Photography for Social Change in a Minority Group

Abstract

While technology has been a valuable ally for social change, we know to a smaller extent its potential for less overt forms of activism, especially in the context of socially sensitive issues. In this paper, we explore the role of photography to bring about social change in Bahrain, an island nation in the Arabian Peninsula. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork, we describe how professional photographers capturing a controversial religious ritual of the Muslim-minority Shia employed a quiet form of activism we call "comfort activism," small and embodied acts with technology that address areas of comfort/discomfort for themselves and groups with whom they have social ties with. We discuss how comfort activism points design toward advocacy goals such as equality that provide an alternative perspective to cultures---one that prioritizes individuals' agencies and choices instead of static cultural norms and values.