Doing engaged research at the intersection of arts and migration: the artistic initiatives and the art-based research outputs with and by undocumented migrants in Liège

In my presentation, I will analyze some empirical material collected through ethnographic research carried out between 2017 and 2019 in the framework of a project aimed at studying public opinion and citizen initiatives concerning migration in polarized societies. In this context, I studied the actions developed by a group of undocumented migrants who established a collective in Liège in 2015, beginning with the occupation of an empty building, with the aim of claiming their basic rights and the right to regularization. The initiatives of the group are diverse, encompassing protests as well as outreach actions utilizing artistic tools. Together with other members of the local population, as well as some professional artists, the group has written and performed several theater plays, organized exhibitions of paintings and other installations, supported and promoted a book written by one of its members, etc. These artistic initiatives allow the undocumented migrants involved to represent themselves through the arts, mobilizing artistic tools and languages to narrate their history of migration, and to counter the marginalization and exclusion processes they face by going on stage and temporarily reversing this situation through speaking out for themselves. For instance, within the framework of a theater workshop employing clowning techniques involving both professional and non-professional actors, the undocumented migrants involved used the clown character and associated humor to depict their personal stories on stage. The research I have conducted regarding these initiatives can be defined as engaged for several reasons, i.e., because it tackles a societal issue, it is co-conducted with the stakeholders involved, and it is aimed at producing change. Indeed, my participation in the artistic activities of the group and the involvement of its members in shaping some of the research outputs that emerged from this process fostered a participatory process of co-construction of art-based research knowledge. As an example, a documentary was produced with the group to narrate the experience of the theater workshop involving undocumented migrants, students, and other citizens and organized by the city theater mentioned above. This documentary was presented in two international conferences, thus providing a direct platform for the voices of undocumented migrants. However, the structural barriers to mobility as well as the limited changes in the situation of undocumented migrants that this has produced reveal the challenges faced while doing engaged research. The tension arises between providing spaces of expression for migrants and opportunities for reflection on artistic and research representations concerning migration and the roles of those involved, versus the lack of direct change in the situation of those fighting for their human rights and the regularization of their residence status.