This is the first of a series of assignments that should help me organise my master thesis fieldwork, which was conducted in Senegal. If you click on the image, you can zoom in and take a better look at my mindmap. I am not fully satisfied with it, as I have a feeling that I cannot dig deep into my data.... Being back from abroad, has come with a reverse culture shock. I haven't fully "landed" yet as it feels odd to walk through the streets in Amsterdam, whilst on the other hand it feels surreal that I ever left? Anyway moving on... the next assignment will be a digital story, where I will incorporate sounds and images, but also include a reflection on my positionality and those stories of the artists as these will provide the most interesting insights on the topic.
A reminder on my research topic:
In Senegal artists frequently engage with the topic of (im)migration. My thesis relates to in what ways these artists (artivists) and their artistic practices engage with "migration" discourse? In other words, what does contemporary socially engaged art on "migration" consist of in Senegal and how has this come about? Think of questions related to what are artivists saying about "migration"? How do they address this topic in their work? And who do they address in their artistic practices? I therefore intend to look at the art form itself, but also listen to the stories of artists and the messages that they convey.
What inspired me to look into this topic and from this particular perspective (i.e., artivism), is that artivists not only react to social phenomena in their artistic practices but are also involved in the production of the phenomenon. At a moment where "migration" is a subject which is heavily discussed, politicised and shaped by various actors, it is important to uncover the dynamics and see what role artists play within the shaping of this discourse.