Identity in the North East of England

To find out what life is like for Polish families in the North East of England I wanted to capture something about where expressions of Polishness might ‘fit in’ to the broader urban context of the North East.

I used the research method of urban ethnography, visiting various parts of the region, walking the streets, sampling foods, going into shops, and trying to get an initial feel for the area. I took notes and observations in a field notebook and then looked for expressions of identity in the fabric of the streetscape, photographing and so capturing my data in a visual format. Using the online photo bank Flickr® I was able to code, collate and analyse each photo, and build up a photographic database of expressions of identity in the North East of England.

The project began in February 2010 and was completed in January 2011. 700 photos are stored on the account and I now plan to use this data as part of my doctoral thesis.

The North East of England is generally thought of as one of Britain’s less multicultural regions. My research however, found a rich and exciting abundance of national, religious, cultural and ethnic expressions being played out in North East cities, suburbs, towns and villages.

Here are some examples of my research findings:

African-
http://www.flickr.com/photos/identityinnewcastle/sets/72157624800662396
Japanese-
http://www.flickr.com/photos/identityinnewcastle/sets/72157624745383884
Italian-
http://www.flickr.com/photos/identityinnewcastle/sets/72157624581384390
British-
http://www.flickr.com/photos/identityinnewcastle/sets/72157625062644586
Polish-
http://www.flickr.com/photos/identityinnewcastle/sets/72157624083384267

To view an entire collection of photos on expressions of nationality and culture in the North East of England, please go here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/identityinnewcastle/collections/72157624162771035