Deep Roots and New Beginnings: Exploring the Reconstruction of Identity through Photographic Life Narratives with Immigrant Women

by Sylvia Calatayud Catano

The intention of this thesis is to examine the lived experience of immigrant women on their path towards a new cultural identity in the context of using art therapy, participatory photography and personal narratives. The methodology used for this research is a combination of Art Based Research, Story Telling and Phenomenology descriptions. The primary question is: what are lived experience of immigrant women during the re-construction of their cultural identity, and how is this reflected in personal narratives? The secondary questions that are raised relate to the methodology and its effectiveness: how this process might be reflected in a photographic life narrative and the art of migrant women, and what are the clause of these techniques during this process? This study will take place in Halifax, Nova Scotia where immigrants arrive from many other countries.