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ToolsParkerson, Tom (2025) Rethinking the "language barrier": participatory methods and analytical insights in UK migrant advice groups. In: Development Studies Association (DSA) Conference, 2025-06-25 - 2025-06-27, University of Bath.
Full text not available from this repository. (Request a copy)Abstract
Drawing on a 12-month ethnography of migrant advice groups in the UK, this paper explores the benefits of participatory methods post-data-collection. Specifically, I recount the difficulties of overcoming the “language barrier” between participants, advisors, and myself when trying to include them in participatory methods. Critical engagement with what it means to collaborate with participants in ethnography was, as expected, beneficial in overcoming this barrier and including participants in my methodology. However, it also led to the analytical revelation that the “language barrier” as conceived by advisors, was more simplistic than I first thought. Too greater focus on participants’ linguistic identities in the pursuit of inclusion, for example, could just as easily reinforce token representations. When participants were defined near-exclusively as other-than-English speakers, advice groups ignore a) the collaborative and truncated nature of participants' communication abilities; and b) other linguistic barriers to help (e.g., misinformation, technical language, affective language). It was only by engaging with ideas of participatory methods that these key analytical themes were revealed. By recounting these experiences, I hope to advocate for greater engagement with participatory methods for developing ethnographic research beyond the point of data collection. Abstract produced in advance of panel discussion at named conference.
| Item Type: | Conference or Workshop Item (Paper) |
|---|---|
| Faculty \ School: | Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Global Development (formerly School of International Development) |
| Depositing User: | LivePure Connector |
| Date Deposited: | 30 Oct 2025 16:31 |
| Last Modified: | 30 Oct 2025 16:31 |
| URI: | https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/100863 |
| DOI: |
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