Exploring mediation through creativity: ethnography, theatre and cinema with Maghrebi unaccompanied migrant youth in Barcelona

ABSTRACT

At the crossroads between artistic creation, academia and marginalised youth, we can find a space for cultural mediation through collaborative creative practices. In this article we present the ethnographic results of a fieldwork conducted in Barcelona during theatre workshops with young unaccompanied immigrants from North Africa. The workshop was an experience of personal, intra-group and intercultural mediation through creativity, during which relationships of affection and care were established that allowed for a deeper understanding of migration, daily life, personal goals, and friendship. This process developed an ethnographic approach based on collaboration between all the actors involved, characterised by a number of innovative features: a more horizontal position between researchers and research subjects; ‘place’ as the central axis of the ethnographic relationship; the body and affect as the ground for generating processes of trust, care and respect between those involved. Here we present findings on the methods employed and the agency of the participants, highlighting the role of theatre practices in creating conditions for non-paternalistic and non-stigmatising experiences of mediation. Finally, this ethnographic approach is of great value in working with marginalised young people: to generate better bonds of trust and space to give voice and enunciate their life situations.

RESUMEN

En la encrucijada entre la creación artística, la academia y la juventud marginada podemos encontrar un espacio de mediación cultural a través de prácticas creativas colaborativas. En este artículo presentamos los resultados etnográficos de un trabajo de campo realizado en Barcelona durante talleres de teatro con jóvenes inmigrantes no acompañados procedentes del norte de África. El taller fue una experiencia de mediación personal, intragrupal e intercultural a través de la creatividad, durante la cual se establecieron relaciones de afecto y cuidado que permitieron una comprensión más profunda sobre la migración, la vida cotidiana, los objetivos personales, y la amistad. En este proceso se desarrolló un enfoque etnográfico basado en la colaboración entre todos los agentes implicados que se basó en una serie de característica innovadoras: una posición más horizontal entre investigadores e investigados; el ‘lugar’ como eje central de la relación etnográfica; el cuerpo y los afectos como terreno para generar procesos de confianza, cuidado y respeto entre los involucrados. Aquí presentamos conclusiones sobre los métodos empleados y la agencia de los participantes, destacando el papel de las prácticas teatrales en la creación de condiciones para experiencias no paternalistas y no estigmatizantes de mediación. Finalmente, este enfoque etnográfico es de gran valor en el trabajo con jóvenes en situación de marginalidad: para generar mejores lazos de confianza y espacio para dar voz y enunciar sus situaciones de vida.

KEYWORDS:

• Youth migrants
• ethnography
• cinema
• commons
• new methodologies

PALABRAS CLAVE:

• jóvenes migrantes
• etnografía
• cine
• comunes
• nuevas metodologías

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 Transnational Gangs as Agents of Mediation: Experiences of conflict resolution in youth street organisations in Southern Europe, North Africa and the Americas (TRANSGANG). European Union: HORIZON-2020, European Research Council – Advanced Grant [H2020-ERC-AdG-742705]. PI: C. Feixa. 2018-2022. Universitat Pompeu Fabra, Barcelona.

2 See: https://laav.es/

3 The town’s "foster mothers" project, initiated by the municipality, matched young migrants with mentors from the town. Although the municipality stopped the project, the ‘mothers’ persisted independently.

4 In order to maintain the anonymity of the young participants, the names below are pseudonyms. Except in the case of the film director and the two theatre instructors.

5 Although the initial idea was to create spaces for young people to express themselves, it should be made clear that all the participants (including the researchers) ended up expressing personal situations, experiences and feelings.

6 The consents for all of this data were collected through the ethical protocols included in the TRANSGANG project, which had signed informed consents and also verbal agreements. The scenes that were part of the theatre and the future film were recorded on film, the rest of the material was collected by voice recording and, when not, by field recordings.

7 Given that some of the young people did not have a very comfortable housing situation.

Additional information

Funding

This project has received funding from the European Research Council (ERC) under the European Union's HORIZON 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 742705.

Notes on contributors

Margot Mecca

Margot Mecca is an Italian researcher, film producer and programmer based in Barcelona; she works mainly in the field of non-fiction cinema and she is interested in cinematic practices that challenge genres and interact with other disciplines, such as anthropology. She holds a PhD in Social Geography.

Eduard Ballesté-Isern

Eduard Ballesté is a postdoctoral researcher in the Universitat Oberta de Catalunya (UOC). He holds a PhD in Social Anthropology. He usually works in the field of social anthropology and youth studies, specifically in social movements studies, urban poverty, migration, gangs, and marginalised youth. Twitter: @eballeste12