FAQ

Is the Love Migration Project only about people who moved for love?

No. The project is about the ways which love and migration intersect, so while it includes people whose main motivation for moving was love, these are not the only people I want to talk to. For more information on whether you can take part, see here.

I moved for love, but the relationship ended. Do you want to hear my story?

Yes. Unfortunately, life does not quite go how we planned sometimes. The project covers the emotional experiences of migrants, whether happy or not so happy. To take part as a single person, follow this link.

My main reason for coming here was work, but I have met someone while I am here. Do you want to hear from me?

Yes. Even if you came here for work, perhaps things have changed slightly (or not) because you now are in a relationship.

I’m really interested in the project, but my partner isn’t. Can I be interviewed alone?

Unfortunately not. The project is about how couples talk about their relationships, and draws on literature from narrative research to inform this view point. But, this is one thing which makes the project so unique – ask your partner again. The interviews are informal and relaxed and you only have to talk about things you are happy to talk about. However, I am interviewing people whose relationships have ended on their own.

If you are interviewing single people, why can’t I be interviewed alone?

For people who categorise themselves as in a relationship, I want to interview both partners together. The main focus of the project is couples, but I am interviewing some single people so that I can think about a wider context. It is important to have different views to compliment the main body of research. If you are a couple, then, to take part, I would ask you to do the interview together.

Why do we need to choose an object?

There are some practical reasons – by talking about an object, the conversation takes varied directions, so it makes things more interesting. It also helps people really get into the conversation, and relax a bit. And some theoretical reasons – one aspect of the project is to think about how people imbue objects with emotions, and this method will allow me to think about that. Another reason is to use methods which have not often been used in research on migration – if researchers only ever use the same methods, they might not discover new things.

What sort of object should it be?

That’s up to you! It could be a souvenir, furniture, a photo, a bus ticket. Anything that has some meaning for you in your relationship.

Do we need to have the object with us?

If possible, so that I can photograph it. Some people have given me photographs of objects which they didn’t have with them at the interview.

What are you going to do with this research?

Firstly, I’m going to finish my Phd! This involves writing a thesis about the information I’ve collected. This will be approximately 80,000 words and will be submitted early in 2017. I am going to organise an exhibition of the images of the objects people have chosen too. Along the way I will be speaking about the research at various conferences. I spoke about representations of love at the Alternative Academia Conference Love, Lust, and Longing last year and I am speaking at the University of Sussex on March 31st 2015.

What do you mean by love?

The project is focussed on love relationships between adults which have a sexual element. This project is not about parental love, sibling love, friendship and so on.

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