Exploring Participatory and Creative Methodologies in Migration Research

Research in the field of migration is increasingly turning toward participatory and creative methods in an attempt to reduce power imbalances between researchers and migrant communities. These approaches are seen as important means of "giving something back" to the populations with whom researchers engage, mitigating power differentials, and bridging knowledge divides between researchers and migrants. Some researchers (Torres 2024) argue that participatory methods can provide a platform for people in situations of migration to express their experiences on their terms. However, the use of participatory methods does not guarantee in itself a more ethical approach, as this can sometimes mask superficial involvement (Larruina and Ghorashi, 2020) by participants or conceal continuing power imbalances and unethical research practices (Cooke and Kothari, 2001).

This Research Topic aims to explore how participatory and creative methods are utilized in various migration contexts, highlighting both the challenges and successes of these approaches. It seeks to explore how these methods can produce meaningful interactions and generate more ethical and balanced research outcomes. Key questions include: How have these methodologies impacted the dynamics between researchers and participants? What ethical considerations need to be addressed? How can these methods be employed without falling into tokenism or perpetuating existing power hierarchies and research extractivism?

To gather further insights into participatory and creative methods in migration research, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

• analysis of participatory methods in diverse migration settings

• challenges and ethical dilemmas in participatory research

• positive outcomes and success stories using creative approaches

• case studies on participatory frameworks

• the role of creative methodologies in research in migration.

We welcome various article types, including original research, reviews, and theoretical discussions, to deepen our understanding of participatory and creative approaches in migration research.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Conceptual Analysis
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Registered Report
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: Participatory Methods, Migration Research, Creative Approaches, Power Imbalances, Ethics, Knowledge Co-production

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.