ABSTRACT
This chapter looks at the decolonization of interactive documentary practices (i-docs) through the lens of polyphony. Writing as practice-based researchers from a position of privilege, the authors argue that self-reflexivity is a key requirement for “decolonizing the mind” and that i-docs can facilitate this process. They place polyphony at the heart of this, as an approach that encourages us to embrace complexity and plurality as well as to respect different perspectives and points of view. Building on Bakhtin’s work on polyphony, they argue that the interactive, multimodal, and nonlinear properties of i-docs methods and tools can help us to reframe our perspectives on self and other in ways that can be both challenging and transformative. Outlining the thinking behind their Polyphonic Documentary project, they look at what two specific software tools bring to the table. They also argue that approaching i-docs from the perspective of polyphony and decolonization can help with addressing two major and interconnected issues of our times: climate emergency and ideological polarization.
