‘Artefactual co-creations’: Developing practice-based research with Somali women in a third sector family literacy class

Abstract

This paper centres on a methodological approach that drew together postcolonial feminist theory with arts-based methods, as well as learning from Indigenous methodologies. The methodology developed over 2 years with two groups of women from refugee and newly arrived migration contexts. This paper focuses on the co-created research process with one of the groups: six Somali women who attended a family literacy class at a third sector organisation in Birmingham, UK. An exploratory literacy space was established, with no set curriculum or links to school-based assessment measures, as a purposeful diversion from the researcher-teacher’s previous teaching practice in government-funded family literacy provision. Using artefacts, the women mobilised the methodological direction of the research into affectual and sensory aspects, culminating in a ‘pedago-Vis-ual’ assemblage. The research contributes theoretical and methodological aspects to the fields of family literacy, literacy, and practice-based research. Theoretically, the paper expands understanding of family literacy teaching and learning in the ‘posts’: transitioning from Western-dominated definitions of family literacy from its traditional humanist roots towards post-human ways of knowing, the latter led by women who are potentially isolated from traditional educational provision. Methodologically, the paper mobilises ways that arts-based methods can be combined with learning from Indigenous principles to foreground the voices of politically marginalised groups and the reciprocity and respect that must accompany this.

Keywords:

• Literacy
• third sector
• artefacts
• postcolonial
• Indigenous
• assemblage

Acknowledgements

The author wishes to thank the women at Bulshada centre for agreement in sharing their artefacts and Dr Rob Smith for his time and feedback on this paper.

Disclosure statement

The author declares that no conflict of interest characterised the study and the submission of this paper.