Representational and Discursive Self-expression of Young Migrants in the Context of Different (Media) Cultural Resources

Abstract

The following contribution presents the research approach "self-production by media" and provides an example of its use in the European research project CHICAM (Children in Communication about Migration). The initial point is the assumption that in research children and adolescents should be given the opportunity to express themselves by using photography and video—additional to verbal forms of expression. The first part of the article outlines the basic assumptions which are connected with this research approach. Secondly, it presents examples of representational-symbolic and discursive forms of self-expression based on media productions made by children and adolescents with migrant backgrounds. The examples will provide an outline of the opportunities of visual self-expression both for subject-orientated research methods (in research about migration) and in the context of identity and self narrations. The final part provides information about methods of analyzing (audio) visual data which were applied in the context of the CHICAM project. URN: urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0803101