Contribution short abstract:

This talk reflects on our participatory research with migrant women in Halle (Saale), focusing on the development of a photography exhibition. We discuss the project's ethnographic, ethical, and artistic methods, highlighting the power of visual anthropology in exploring migrant's common concerns.

Contribution long abstract:

In late summer 2023, we organized city walks in Halle (Saale) with a diverse group of volunteer migrant women as part of an empowerment project by DaMigra e.V. During these walks, we photographed urban spaces that sparked new memories or meanings, sharing personal stories of past and present. Our aim was to increase visibility, encourage social participation, and explore how migrant women experience everyday urban life in Halle, imagining shared futures in Germany.

The resulting photographs, accompanied by texts written by the photographers, were first exhibited at the Stadtmuseum Halle. The project was later expanded with illustrations and a podcast series based on interviews with four women, accessible on the website “Remind the Nearby*”. The website launch was followed by two public events where migrant women and civil society members discussed post-migration life in East Germany, addressing issues such as violence, discrimination, access to social services, isolation as well as conviviality and new opportunities.

In this contribution to the panel, we reflect on our experience conducting participatory and engaged research, which facilitated direct involvement of migrant women at every stage and was carried out in collaboration with several institutions. We address our methods and strategies and discuss how the ethnographic, ethical, and artistic aspects of the project have evolved in the process. Finally, we present visual materials, including those excluded in the curation, to delve deeper into the common concerns of participant women and to highlight the power of visual anthropology.

*https://remindthenearby.eth.mpg.de/en