Nikielska‐Sekula, Karolina and Desille, Amandine. 2021. Visual Methodology in Migration Studies: Possibilities, Theoretical Implications, and Questions. Springer Nature. pp. 343.
| Published date | 01 August 2022 |
| Author | Silvia Almenara‐Niebla |
| Date | 01 August 2022 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1111/imig.12993 |
238
|
International Migration. 2022;60:238–240.
wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/imig
Received: 9 Febr uary 2022
|
Accepted: 17 Februar y 2022
DOI: 10.1111/imig.12993
BOOK REVIEW
Nikielska-Sekula, Karolina and Desille, Amandine.
2021. Visual Methodology in Migration Studies:
Possibilities, Theoretical Implications, and
Questions. Springer Nature. pp. 343.
Visual Methodology in Migration Studies: New Possibilities, Theoretical Implications, and Ethical Questions is an open-
access book co- edited by Karolina Nikielska- Sekula and Aman dine Desill e and published by Springer in 2021.
The book focuses on the visual turn in migration studies and the importance of reflec ting “on the ethical ways of
employing visuals in the context of migratio n, the theoretical implications of visualizing issues conce rning people
on the move, and the new poss ibilities visual methodologies can bring when resea rching potentiall y vulnerable
subjects suc h as migrants and refugees” (p. 2). The book pr esents a variety of studie s that deserve recognition for
delivering a serie s of critical insights that ext end beyond visual essentialis m and highlight the productio n of visual
meaning in migration processes. Although the t hematic scope of the volume is relatively broad, the transdisci-
plinary approa ch invites us to reconsider visual anthropology, sensor y ethnography, cultural studies, socia l theory,
film studies, and media studies. The text fulfils aims relating to (1) the production of images of embodied experi-
ences of migration, (2) storytel ling, (3) visual methodologies and new ways of approaching horizontal resear ch, and
(4) ethical issues a nd responsibilities in t he representation of migr ation.
Nikielska- Sekula and Desille divide the contents of the book into four sectio ns on places and bodies, story-
telling, par ticipation, and representation, re spectively, which ra nge from the concept ual and the empir ical to the
methodologi cal and the refle xive. The 18 chapters of the book mutua lly benefit from d ialogues presented at the
end of each section in concluding chapters that synthesize the main contributions of each study alongside newly
introduced perspectives.
In th e first section, Places and Bodies, three ch apters expl ore the use of photography, min d mapping, and
documentar y film. These studies ce ntre the research on the place wh ere participants are sit uated with respect to
their transnati onal belonging (Chapter 2 by Karolina Nikiels ka- Sekula), city (Chapter 3 by Franz Buhr), and political
experience (Chapter 4 by Amandine Desil le). While each chapter involves a unique appr oach to the visual using
different techniques, they all agree on the nar rative power of visual production in public spaces. According to
Buhr, visual representations, such as mental maps, enable researchers to “understand identity formation, spatial
awareness, orientation and navigation, social perceptions of boundaries , emotional and border geographies, spa-
tial justice, tru st, feelings of urban insecu rity, etc.” (p. 53). This statement also relate s to Desille’s reflection on the
implied possibilities of the visual in captur ing the b odies, gesture s, and no n- oral and m aterial data of migrants.
According to the author s, visual met hods connect to the power of images for audiences be cause they f acilitate
various engagements with th e situated experience of migrati on. Reflect ions on ethical c hallenges and the rel-
evance of the v isual in the produc tion of k nowledge are also foun dational to the main argument of Lars Frers
(Chapter 5) in the concl usion of this section. Base d on the presented studies , Frers proposes the notion of “eth ics
in motion” to explain how ethic s in visual rese arch must be ren egotiated relationall y in all stages of the research
process.
© 2022 The Auth ors. Internation al Migration © 2022 IO M
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