Reader in Qualitative Methods in Migration Research
Reader in Qualitative Methods in Migration Research
Contributor(s): Ibrahim Sirkeci (Editor), Theodoros Iosifides (Editor), Carla DeTona (Editor), Annalisa Frisina (Editor)
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Politics, History, Anthropology, Social Sciences, Gender Studies, Geography, Regional studies, Sociology, Recent History (1900 till today), Methodology and research technology, Demography and human biology, Nationalism Studies, Migration Studies, Identity of Collectives
Published by: Transnational Press London
Keywords: methodology; sociology; anthropology; migrations; qualitative methods; narrative method; biographical method; visual method; multi-methods; identity; children; young researchers mobility;
Summary/Abstract: This edited collection published in Migration Letters were selected to reflect on methodological challenges faced by researchers and students when conducting qualitative studies on migration. Beginning with papers focusing on broader discussions of methodological issues and some options available to researchers, the latter half of the book explores the narrative methodology in depth with references to several cases. The chapters included in this book was originally published in regular issues and two special issues of Migration Letters journal from 2009 onwards. We have regrouped and ordered these studies to enhance the flow and transition in the book. The first six chapters look into more general issues and debates in migration research methodologies, while chapters seven to ten offer cases studies on alternative qualitative methodologies and then the final six chapters focus on narratives and challenges of the narrative methodology applied in migration studies.
Series: Migration Series
- Print-ISBN-13: 978-1-912997-10-7
- Page Count: 172
- Publication Year: 2019
- Language: English
Research methods in ethnic and migration studies
Research methods in ethnic and migration studies
(Research methods in ethnic and migration studies)
- Author(s):Deianira Ganga, Carla DeTona, Annalisa Frisina
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Sociology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology, Methodology and research technology, Migration Studies
- Page Range:7-9
- No. of Pages:3
- Keywords:research methods; ethnic studies; migration studies; social sciences;
- Summary/Abstract:The acceleration and diversification of the movement across borders of millions of people have recently implied a heightened relevance of topics such as ethnicity, race and migration in the social sciences. Nevertheless, being migration a highly interdisciplinary and complex issue, the diverse national academic traditions and methodologies of investigation currently existing have up to now hindered the development of a clear framework for the understanding of the phenomenon. Through this special issue, HERMES (European Researchers in Migration and Ethnic Studies) attempts to provide a dedicated arena offering European researchers the opportunity to disseminate the results of their investigations in the field of migration and, in particular, of reflecting on fieldwork and/or methodological issues. The eight articles presented here all contribute – in their own ways – to the provision of a reflexive ground for the understanding of methodological choices and options and, hopefully, to the creation of a shared understanding of such issues across disciplines and research traditions.
- Price: 4.50 €
Biographical methods in migration research
Biographical methods in migration research
(Biographical methods in migration research)
- Author(s):Deborah Sporton, Theodoros Iosifides
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Sociology, Methodology and research technology, Evaluation research, Migration Studies
- Page Range:11-17
- No. of Pages:7
- Keywords:methodology; biographical methods; migration studies; qualitative methods;
- Summary/Abstract:During the last decades, qualitative biographical/narrative methods gained a prominent position within the spectrum of social science methodology and research practice, mainly due to a reaction to the positivist empiricist dominance and associated views of social reality. After an initial interest to biographical methods, which followed the edition of ‘The Polish Peasant in Europe and America (1919-1921)’ by Thomas and Znaniecki (1958), biographical and generally qualitative research methods gave way to empiricist-quantitative approaches and only since the end of 1960 the positivist domination begun to be unsettled (Halfacree and Boyle 1993; Findlay and Li 1997; Tsiolis 2006).
- Price: 4.50 €
Some reflections on outsider and insider identities in ethnic and migrant qualitative research
Some reflections on outsider and insider identities in ethnic and migrant qualitative research
(Some reflections on outsider and insider identities in ethnic and migrant qualitative research)
- Author(s):Sharon Wray, Michelle Bartholomew
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Sociology, Cultural Anthropology / Ethnology, Methodology and research technology, Migration Studies, Identity of Collectives
- Page Range:19-27
- No. of Pages:9
- Keywords:methodology; qualitative research; ethnicity; identity;
- Summary/Abstract:This article explores some of the methodological issues relating to outsider and insider identities in ethnic and migrant qualitative research. It draws up-on two qualitative research studies that set out to examine older (55-75 years) migrant African Caribbean women’s experiences of health and ageing in the UK. An aim is to problematise the conceptualisation of insiderness and outsiderness as polarised and discrete, and provide some examples of how these identities might overlap and intersect. The article takes issue with the argument that it is both possible and desirable to ‘match’ the ethnic background of researcher and participant.
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Promoting multi-methods research: linking Anthropometric methods to migration studies
Promoting multi-methods research: linking Anthropometric methods to migration studies
(Promoting multi-methods research: linking Anthropometric methods to migration studies)
- Author(s):Deborah L. Crooks, Lisa Cliggett
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Anthropology, Methodology and research technology, Migration Studies
- Page Range:29-36
- No. of Pages:8
- Keywords:methodology; multi-methods research; anthropometric method; migration studies;
- Summary/Abstract:The experience of migration includes costs and benefits to migrants and sending communities. In the tradition of a “letters” type discussion, this paper presents a synthesis of recent work from a longitudinal study from Zambia, Africa that used a mixed-methods approach to investigate the experience and outcomes of migration among the Gwembe Tonga. In this ethnographic study, we argue that including anthropometric methods in migration studies enhances our ability to empirically assess the impacts of mobility to better understand the experience of migration. In this particular African context we see, on average, a beneficial outcome for migrants’ nutritional status, and livelihoods.
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Visual methods in researching migrant children’s experiences of belonging
Visual methods in researching migrant children’s experiences of belonging
(Visual methods in researching migrant children’s experiences of belonging)
- Author(s):Marta Moskal
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Anthropology, Methodology and research technology, Migration Studies
- Page Range:37-50
- No. of Pages:14
- Keywords:methodology; visual methods; migration; children experiences; belonging;
- Summary/Abstract:This chapter examines drawings and mental maps made by children (used alongside with conventional interviewing techniques) as method of investigating migrant children sense of belonging. Children’s visual methods have gained renewed interest as many social scientists search for methods that align with the current conceptualisation of children as social agents and cultural producers. Drawing upon a qualitative study of Migration and the Integration of Polish families and children in Scotland, I analyse children's presence and participation in processes of transnational migration, giving some empirical example of how visual methods can be evaluated as a research strategy.
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Gendered differences in emigration and mobility perspectives among European researchers working abroad
Gendered differences in emigration and mobility perspectives among European researchers working abroad
(Gendered differences in emigration and mobility perspectives among European researchers working abroad)
- Author(s):Elisabeth Scheibelhofer
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Gender Studies, Geography, Regional studies, Higher Education , Methodology and research technology, Migration Studies
- Page Range:51-59
- No. of Pages:9
- Keywords:researchers mobility; migration; Europe; gender; qualitative research methodology;
- Summary/Abstract:This paper focuses on gendered mobilities of highly skilled researchers working abroad. It is based on an empirical qualitative study that explored the mobility aspirations of Austrian scientists who were working in the United States at the time they were interviewed. Supported by a case study, the paper demonstrates how a qualitative research strategy including graphic drawings sketched by the interviewed persons can help us gain a better understanding of the gendered importance of social relations for the future mobility aspirations of scientists working abroad.
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A Participatory approach to research with migrant working adolescents
A Participatory approach to research with migrant working adolescents
(A Participatory approach to research with migrant working adolescents)
- Author(s):Rita Bertozzi
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Geography, Regional studies, Sociology, Methodology and research technology, Demography and human biology, Migration Studies
- Page Range:61-71
- No. of Pages:11
- Keywords:adolescents; children; research; participatory approach; migration; Rome;
- Summary/Abstract:Child centred approaches focus on the children’s perspective and on participation. Participatory action research can be a fruitful methodology for investigating delicate topics such as child labor in migrant communities. This article presents a peer research project conducted in Rome (Italy) which actively involved a group of foreign working young people over two years and employed a variety of methodologies. Research methods will be illustrated and critically discussed, with a particular focus on the benefits for the migrant youths involved and ethical questions arising from this type of research. A brief summary of the main findings will also be provided.
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Potential of qualitative network analysis in migration studies - reflections based on an empirical analysis of young researchers’ mobility aspirations
Potential of qualitative network analysis in migration studies - reflections based on an empirical analysis of young researchers’ mobility aspirations
(Potential of qualitative network analysis in migration studies - reflections based on an empirical analysis of young researchers’ mobility aspirations)
- Author(s):Elisabeth Scheibelhofer
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Sociology, Higher Education , Methodology and research technology, Migration Studies
- Page Range:73-82
- No. of Pages:10
- Keywords:migration; young researchers; qualitative network analysis; methodology; empirical analysis;
- Summary/Abstract:Based on the example of an empirical research study, the paper examines the strengths and limitations of a qualitative network approach to migration and mobility. The method of graphic drawings produced by the respondents within an interview setting was applied. With this method, we argue to be able to analyse migrants’ specific social embeddedness and its influence on future mobility aspirations. Likewise, connections between the migratory biography and the individuals’ various social relations are investigated.
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Overcoming challenges of international migration research: a case study approach in Southern Mexico
Overcoming challenges of international migration research: a case study approach in Southern Mexico
(Overcoming challenges of international migration research: a case study approach in Southern Mexico)
- Author(s):Julie Boyles
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Gender Studies, Geography, Regional studies, Methodology and research technology, Demography and human biology, Migration Studies
- Page Range:83-96
- No. of Pages:14
- Keywords:international migration; research; methodology; Southern Mexico; gender; women; ethnographic case study;
- Summary/Abstract:An ethnographic case study approach to understanding women’s actions and reactions to husbands’ emigration or potential emigration offers a distinct set of challenges to a U.S. based researcher. International migration research in a foreign context likely offers challenges in language, culture, lifestyle, as well as potential gender norm impediments. A mixed methods approach contributed to successfully overcoming barriers through an array of research methods, strategies, and tactics, as well as practicing flexibility in data gathering methods. Even this researcher’s influence on the research was minimized and alleviated, to a degree, through ascertaining common ground with many of the women. Research with the women of San Juan Guelavía, Oaxaca, Mexico offered numerous and constant challenges, each overcome with ensuing rewards.
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Dealing with dilemmas of difference - ethical and psychological considerations of “Othering” and “Peer Dialogues” in the research encounter
Dealing with dilemmas of difference - ethical and psychological considerations of “Othering” and “Peer Dialogues” in the research encounter
(Dealing with dilemmas of difference - ethical and psychological considerations of “Othering” and “Peer Dialogues” in the research encounter)
- Author(s):Angela Kühner, Phil C. Langer
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Psychology, Ethics / Practical Philosophy, Methodology and research technology, Health and medicine and law, Migration Studies
- Page Range:97-106
- No. of Pages:10
- Keywords:peer dialogues; research; dilemmas of difference; psychological considerations; qualitative interview studies; migration; HIV;
- Summary/Abstract:In this paper we review two qualitative interview studies, in which dilemmas of difference played a decisive role. With regard to the first study, which focused on the influence of migration backgrounds in student’s perception of Holocaust Education in Germany, we discuss several research decisions that were made to avoid methodological othering. Concerning a study on HIV risk behavior of gay and bisexual men, psychological challenges of a participatory approach that involved peer interviewers are outlined. We argue that strategies of recognition of the “other” - seen as a reflexive agent - have to be developed systematically as an ethical precondition of socially responsible research.
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Forced migration and psychosocial health: meaning-making through autobiographical narratives in the UK
Forced migration and psychosocial health: meaning-making through autobiographical narratives in the UK
(Forced migration and psychosocial health: meaning-making through autobiographical narratives in the UK)
- Author(s):Maria Psoinos
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Psychology, Geography, Regional studies, Social psychology and group interaction, Methodology and research technology, Health and medicine and law, Migration Studies
- Page Range:107-118
- No. of Pages:12
- Keywords:UK; migration; forced migration; psychosocial health; autobiographical narratives; meaning-making;
- Summary/Abstract:This paper explores how refugees in the UK perceive the relation between their experience of migration and their psychosocial health. Autobiographical narrative interviews were carried out with fifteen refugees residing in the UK. The findings reveal a contrast between the negative stereotypes concerning refugees’ psychosocial health and the participants’ own perceptions. Two of the three emerging narratives suggest a more balanced view of refugees’ psychosocial health, since in contrast to the stereotypes most participants did not perceive this through the lens of ‘vulnerability’. The third narrative revealed that a hostile social context can negatively shape refugees’ perceptions of their psychosocial health. This runs counter to the stereotype of refugees as being exclusively responsible for their ‘passiveness’ and therefore for the problems they face.
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Migration, life narratives, memory and subjectivity: Reflections on an archival project on Irish migration
Migration, life narratives, memory and subjectivity: Reflections on an archival project on Irish migration
(Migration, life narratives, memory and subjectivity: Reflections on an archival project on Irish migration)
- Author(s):Breda Gray
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Geography, Regional studies, Recent History (1900 till today), Methodology and research technology, Post-War period (1950 - 1989), Transformation Period (1990 - 2010), Present Times (2010 - today), Migration Studies
- Page Range:119-127
- No. of Pages:9
- Keywords:migration; life narratives; memory; Ireland migration; archival project;
- Summary/Abstract:This article considers three theoretical approaches (late-modern, postmodern and feminist) to the apparent obsession with self-narration and memory in the early twenty-first century as they relate to an archival project on Irish migration. This archival project focused on the life narratives of those who witnessed mass out-migration from 1950s Ireland. The article reflects on the extent to which this project and the motivations of both the researchers and contributors reflect these theoretical accounts of the biographical turn.
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A mobile life story: tracing hopefulness in the life and dreams of a young Ivorian Migrant
A mobile life story: tracing hopefulness in the life and dreams of a young Ivorian Migrant
(A mobile life story: tracing hopefulness in the life and dreams of a young Ivorian Migrant)
- Author(s):Jesper Bjarnesen
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Methodology and research technology, Evaluation research, Migration Studies
- Page Range:129-138
- No. of Pages:10
- Keywords:migrations; methodology; qualitative methods; life history interview;
- Summary/Abstract:The analysis suggests an adaptation of the life history interview as a method in qualitative migration studies. By joining four analytical concepts into an overall methodological framework, the mobile life story is intended to guide the exploration of the subjective experiences of migrants at various stages of a migrant trajectory. The notion of ‘mobility’ evokes a holistic orientation in the study of migrant biographies; the unpredictability that characterizes the social practice of migrants is captured through the concept of ‘hopefulness’; the concept of ‘vital conjunctures’ is argued to provide a temporal delimitation and a focus for the organizing of a life history interview; and the spatial dimension of the methodology is delimited through the concept of ‘emplacement’. As opposed to a migration history, the mobile life story explores the significant transformations that have characterized the migrant’s past and relates these defining moments to the broader migration history.
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Power and politics in migration narrative methodology: research with young Congolese migrants in Uganda
Power and politics in migration narrative methodology: research with young Congolese migrants in Uganda
(Power and politics in migration narrative methodology: research with young Congolese migrants in Uganda)
- Author(s):Christina Clark-Kazak
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Politics, Geography, Regional studies, Methodology and research technology, Studies in violence and power, Migration Studies
- Page Range:139-148
- No. of Pages:10
- Keywords:Uganda; Congolese migrants; migrations; power and politics; narrative methodology;
- Summary/Abstract:This paper explores the power dynamics inherent in qualitative research involving migration narratives. Drawing on the author’s experiences collecting life histories and constructing narratives of Congolese young people in Uganda, this article addresses the ethical and methodological issues of representivity, ownership, anonymity and confidentiality. It also explores the importance of investment in relationships in migration narrative research, but also the difficulties that arise when professional and personal boundaries become blurred.
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Telling diaspora stories: theoretical and methodological reflections on narratives of migrancy and belongingness in the second generation
Telling diaspora stories: theoretical and methodological reflections on narratives of migrancy and belongingness in the second generation
(Telling diaspora stories: theoretical and methodological reflections on narratives of migrancy and belongingness in the second generation)
- Author(s):Anastasia Christou
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Sociology, Methodology and research technology, Migration Studies
- Page Range:149-159
- No. of Pages:11
- Keywords:migration; narratives of migrancy and belongingness; methodology; narrative research;
- Summary/Abstract:This article explores the theoretical and methodological implications of the study of second generation migration through the use of life stories, a narrative and biographical approach. It presents a theoretical contextualisation of life history research in addressing the direction it has taken in the study of migration and identity in order to problematise how the subject and subjectivities in narrative research have been framed by social categorisations such as gender, ethnicity, class as well as social experiences such as trauma, exile, memory and imagination. The paper develops the analytical contribution of researching the biographicity of everyday migrant lives.
- Price: 4.50 €
National identity and otherness in Greek speakers' talk about immigration: Methodological and trans-disciplinary reflections
National identity and otherness in Greek speakers' talk about immigration: Methodological and trans-disciplinary reflections
(National identity and otherness in Greek speakers' talk about immigration: Methodological and trans-disciplinary reflections)
- Author(s):Maria Xenitidou
- Language:English
- Subject(s):Sociology, Methodology and research technology, Nationalism Studies, Migration Studies, Identity of Collectives
- Page Range:161-172
- No. of Pages:12
- Keywords:national identity; otherness; Greek speakers; migrations; methodology;
- Summary/Abstract:The aim of the paper is to present the potential contribution of using Critical Discursive Psychology to study national identity and immigration. It draws upon a study on Greek national identity negotiations in relation to immigration. The study was guided by the perspective of banal nationalism which treats national identity as a form of life in a world divided into nation states (Billig, 1995). In terms of Greek national identity and immigration, the study drew similarities between the perspective of banal nationalism and the critique of methodological nationalism (Wimmer and Schiller, 2002).
- Price: 4.50 €