‘Intimacy as method’: Ethnographic reflections on equitable knowledge production in migration research

Cîrstea, Ana-Maria; Pescinski, Janina

Abstract

Despite the ongoing ‘reflexive turn’ in migration studies, intimacy continues to be cropped out of methodologies. This article explores how intimacy can enable us to produce knowledge in a way that is grounded in and sensitive to our participants’ lives. We reflect on our experiences of building intimacy during our two respective ethnographic projects. While one project analyses the solidarity practices of citizens and migrants at the Franco–Italian border, the other explores the experiences of a Romanian family in London. Although researching seemingly divergent topics, we find methodological convergences and come together to propose the concept of ‘intimacy as method’. Positionality is central to intimacy, as who we are as early-career female researchers shaped how we built intimate and caring relationships with our participants. Cultivating intimacy, however, also presented challenges, including ethical considerations in how we conduct research, and how we represent our interlocutors and engage them in knowledge production. In sitting with the discomfort which is central to intimacy, we found its analytical potential as it granted us novel insights into our participants’ lives. By reflecting on both the potential and challenges of intimacy, we argue that migration researchers can use ‘intimacy as method’ to conduct more equitable research in migration studies.

Citation

Cîrstea, A.-M., & Pescinski, J. (2024). ‘Intimacy as method’: Ethnographic reflections on equitable knowledge production in migration research. Migration Studies, 12(3), Article mnae020. https://doi.org/10.1093/migration/mnae020

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 31, 2024
• Online Publication Date: Jun 26, 2024
• Publication Date: 2024-09
• Deposit Date: Aug 5, 2024
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 5, 2024
• Journal: Migration Studies
• Print ISSN: 2049-5838
• Electronic ISSN: 2049-5846
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 12
• Issue: 3
• Article Number: mnae020
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/migration/mnae020
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/2741030