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prof. jared ragland publishes in justice quarterly journal
June 27 , 2024
Jared Ragland, Libra, 26, from The Circle.
A new article, coauthored by USU Assistant Professor of Photography Jared Ragland and University of Alabama at Birmingham social scientists Heith Copes, Curdajah Bonner, and Peter S. Hendricks has been published in the journal, Justice Quarterly. “Being Better People: Drug Using Careers and Peyote” combines photographs, interview texts, and analysis to understand how narratives, identities, and specific drugs shape experiences. The article is available to those with institutional access here. An abstract of the article is below.
The eight photographs published in the journal are part of Ragland’s series The Circle, and were made in collaboration with study participants, with each person directing where and how they were photographed as a means of visualizing their personal experiences with peyote.
Justice Quarterly was listed by Google Scholar in its most recent rankings as the top academic journal in the discipline of criminology.
Abstract:
Our aim is to understand how narratives relating to personal identities and specific drugs shape people’s drug using careers. To do this, we rely on data from a photo-ethnography of people who used peyote in ceremonial contexts in the Southern United States. We found that the desire to become better people plot stories at each stage of their careers. The hope of positive personal change (e.g. heal trauma or break addiction) often motivates decisions to try peyote, while those who continue using do so because they believe peyote has aided in personal growth. Some desist because the discomfort from the acute effects of peyote outweighs the long-term benefits. Others stop using do so because they believe peyote has helped them reach their goals and they no longer need to continue. Findings have implications for broader understandings of drug using careers.