Notions of Home and Sense of Belonging in the Context of Migration in a Journey through Participatory Photography

Abstract

The question of where is home is especially difficult for migrants, who live in a place different than their place of origin, and particularly for undocumented migrants, who don't have any legal recognition or rights and constantly risk being detained and deported. Through participatory photography and interviews, a process we called Fotohistorias, we explored human experiences in relation to migration in the US (the North), at the US-Mexico border (the border), and in Colombia (the South). Along with a reflection on the methodology on both researchers' work and participants' empowerment, this paper reports on outcomes related to the notions of home and sense of belonging that emerged in the experiences shared by migrants in those three settings. They evidence different notions of "what is home" as well as "where do I belong," reflecting the different degrees of transience and impermanence in the everyday experiences of migrants.

“When words become unclear”: unmasking ICT through visual methodologies in participatory ICT4D

“…However, I often noticed that my participants were trying to please me, which put me in a more powerful position. This is one of the reasons why I chose to employ a visual methodology in the first place, as photographs, a shortcut to the soul, can help create stronger relationships between researchers and participants in a shorter amount of time (Gomez and Vannini 2016). Another reason why photo-elicitation helped to mediate the cultural distance between us was because I did not take for granted what the participants' photos were about.…”

“…For social researchers, visual methods can enrich their understanding of social contexts and problems, and they offer an inclusive manner to involve their participants fully (Bignante 2010). In some cases, visual methods empower participants to challenge customary assumptions and to change prevailing social and political structures (Young and Barrett 2001;Gomez and Vannini 2016 (Vannini et al 2015;Roberts 2016). ICT4D is a multi-discipline concerned with the application and impact of ICT for sustainable human development.…”

Radio, library, and storytelling: Building an information system for indigenous community development in Chiapas, Mexico

“…Participatory photography has been shown to strengthen participants' empowerment (Young & Barrett, ), promote surfacing of multiple perspectives (Bignante, ; Vannini, Rega, Sala, & Cantoni, ), and encourage participation by people with different backgrounds and worldviews (Samuels, ; Vannini, Aguirre, Rega, & Cantoni, ). Finally, participatory photography helps to externalize complex emotions and ideas more easily, offering richer understanding of lived experiences, especially in contexts where participants are not used to speaking up for themselves and where power relations can compromise the interview process (Clark‐Ibáñez, ; Gomez & Vannini, ; Vannini et al, ).…”

Facilitating Social Harmony Through ICTs

“…In southern Mexico, Ricardo Gomez is working with an indigenous Tzeltal community in Chiapas state [10] on a multi-year initiative that will involve an indigenous community library, indigenous community radio and what he terms fotohistorias [11], the use of photography to capture the salient elements of the culture. The common thread for the various activities is the local, indigenous notion of "likil cuxlejalil" which translates roughly as "The Good Life".…”