Materiality, Memory, Motherhood & Migration is an interdisciplinary project exploring material culture as part of a methodological approach in working with asylum seeking and refugee women. The aim is to explore women’s experiences of their transition to motherhood in an inclusive way, by placing the stories of women who have come to the UK at the centre of knowledge production. The project included two participatory workshops with East Meets West, our partner community organisation, which explored women’s experiences of maternity and motherhood, through personal objects women chose as representing this aspect of their lives. Different elements of the project have been presented nationally and internationally, the culmination of this stage has been two exhibitions held throughout summer (2024), which combined personal reflections with large scale photographs of the women’s objects. The exhibitions have been held in community settings, with a launch event with all the women involved in the project, and in academic settings, as part of the IMISCOE (2024) PhD summer School held at the University of Central Lancashire. We are working on the next stage which is a publication capturing the project findings.

For more information about the project please contact Marie-Clare Balaam [email protected] or Dr Carole Hunt [email protected]