Paper short abstract:

Based on research that looked at perceptions and realities of migration, inequalities and political attitudes in Great Yarmouth, we reflect on the use of photography and video as methods in migration research, and on the collaborative role that academia and museums can have in the research process.

Paper long abstract:

This paper is based on a 2017 research project in Great Yarmouth (Norfolk, UK) that looked at the interplay of perceptions and realities of migration, inequalities and political attitudes in the aftermath of the Brexit referendum. In order to explore different understandings of "locality" and "foreignness", we used a combination of 16 semi-structured interviews and participatory photography methods. For the latter, five research participants were asked to capture their everyday experiences of social, economic and political diversity through the use of photography. A selection of 24 photos were subsequently exhibited and integrated with the museum collections at the Strangers' Hall Museum in Norwich, and at the Time and Tide Museum of Great Yarmouth Life, alongside discussion sessions with the participants, researchers, NGO representatives and the wider public. Additionally, the project included the production of a short film narrating, anonymously, some of the testimonies collected in the interviews, which was also shown at the Time and Tide Museum. The research project tied into a then newly started Museum-University partnership entitled Migration in Norfolk (MiN), which aimed to diversify audiences and increase public awareness of the ways in which migrants contribute to tell the story of the county. In this paper, we reflect on the use of photography and video as research methods in migration research, and the potential as well as challenges of incorporating a museum-university partnership as integral part of the research process.