Here's an Imap view of my image based research findings.
The project sought to locate expressions of identity in Newcastle city centre.
I hope you find it interesting,
Rachel
Showing posts with label research findings. Show all posts
Showing posts with label research findings. Show all posts
Saturday, 25 February 2012
Friday, 28 January 2011
North East Places
When I first began the ethnographic photography stage of my research I planned to concentrate solely on Polish identity in the city of Newcastle. As the interview stage of my research unfolded it became clear that although there is a significant Polish population resident in Newcastle, Polish families live far and wide across the North East of England and something that especially interested me after meeting these families was how Polish migrants have adapted to living in the North East’s former mining towns, in seaside resorts and rural villages. I began to feel that a study on the North East region might be more useful that one on the city of Newcastle alone.
Moreover, in the early stages of my ethnographic fieldwork I made the mistake of looking for expressions of Polishness in isolation. As you can see by my blog about research findings, sometimes my fieldtrips would seem very fruitless (http://polishfamiliesnewcastle.blogspot.com/2010/03/research-findings-polish-newcastle.html). I soon realised that I was missing the wider context of ‘identity’ in the North East in that it would be interesting to see how Polish identity might sit alongside or overlap other migrant identities and cultural identities in the region.
Here’s a complete list of all the places I covered during my ethnographic fieldwork and links to the research findings they yielded:
County Durham:
Durham
Moreover, in the early stages of my ethnographic fieldwork I made the mistake of looking for expressions of Polishness in isolation. As you can see by my blog about research findings, sometimes my fieldtrips would seem very fruitless (http://polishfamiliesnewcastle.blogspot.com/2010/03/research-findings-polish-newcastle.html). I soon realised that I was missing the wider context of ‘identity’ in the North East in that it would be interesting to see how Polish identity might sit alongside or overlap other migrant identities and cultural identities in the region.
Here’s a complete list of all the places I covered during my ethnographic fieldwork and links to the research findings they yielded:
County Durham:
Durham
Gateshead:
Bensham
Bensham
Blaydon
Felling
Gateshead
Low Fell
Whickham
Newcastle:
Arthur’s Hill
Arthur’s Hill
Benton
Benwell
Bigg Market
Blakelaw
Byker
Chinatown
City Centre
Cruddus Park
Denton Burn
Elswick
Fawdon
Fenham
Forest Hall
Gosforth
Groat Market
Heaton
High Heaton
Jesmond
Newbiggin Hall
Ouseburn Valley
Red House Farm
Sandyford
Scotswood
Shieldfield
South Gosforth
Walker
Wallsend
Westerhope
Westgate Hill
West Denton
West Moor
Northumberland:
Blyth
Morpeth
Wylam
North Tyneside:
North Shields
Tynemouth
Whitley Bay
South Tyneside:
Hebburn
Jarrow
Pelaw
South Shields
Sunderland:
Roker
Sunderland
To view the entire ‘North East Places’ collection please go here: http://www.flickr.com/photos/identityinnewcastle/collections/72157624287694582
Tuesday, 25 January 2011
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
Wednesday, 27 October 2010
Driving Me Crazy
What a week! This week I’m doing an intensive driving course, and I’m hopeless.
Co tydzień! Uczę się jeździć i to tak trudne!
The subject of driving comes up many times in interviews with Polish parents. Many participants mention how easy it is to drive in Britain compared to Poland, due to the better quality of roads in and around the North East. Some participants however, say that although they have a Polish driving licence they’ve a fear of driving in the UK as we drive on the left, some mention the busy roads here, and whether British or Polish drivers are more courteous is also a frequent point of discussion.
Co tydzień! Uczę się jeździć i to tak trudne!
The subject of driving comes up many times in interviews with Polish parents. Many participants mention how easy it is to drive in Britain compared to Poland, due to the better quality of roads in and around the North East. Some participants however, say that although they have a Polish driving licence they’ve a fear of driving in the UK as we drive on the left, some mention the busy roads here, and whether British or Polish drivers are more courteous is also a frequent point of discussion.
I thought it might be helpful to post some driving test information on my blog, given that what’s I’ve been looking for today.
In Britain the Driving Standards Agency is the government body responsible for setting standards and conducting theory and practical driving tests. As this is a public service you can find out more about driving in Britain at the multi-purpose website: http://www.direct.gov.uk/
Oto kilka filmów, które pomogą Pan/ Pani uczyć się o prawa jazdy w Wielkiej Brytanii:
The DSA have produced a clear video detailing what to expect from a UK practical driving test here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hweCy5vJ1yk&feature=channel
Also, as from the beginning of this month a new element to the UK practical driving test was introduced, called ‘independent driving’. Details about this can be found here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wQRl3zkkOgg&feature=related
The British School of Motoring (BSM) have put a really helpful series of ‘driving lessons’ on You Tube. Their experienced instructor conducts a series of manoeuvres and car safety checks appropriate to the practical driving test, and a clear voiceover explains the process. Here’s a selection of the best lessons:
Filmy o prawo jazdy w języku angielskim
Car basics and safety checks:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_nNMu_ceG2M
Learning to drive roundabouts:
Learning to drive roundabouts:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8n9Fw4gInM
Reversing round a corner:
Reversing round a corner:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IKd0GXZ39U8
A turn in the road:
A turn in the road:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMfe7hM2YkE
Learning to drive- a hill start:
Learning to drive- a hill start:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpeVOl0H7Eo
What to do at a junction:
What to do at a junction:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YjdYoRAHPHw
Finally, after a dreadful day of driving, I found this Polish video online showing a driver just as hopeless as me. Poor Asia in the video; her instructor makes some patronising remarks about her being blonde, well Asia, I salute you, as at least you remained calm, unlike me!
Finally, after a dreadful day of driving, I found this Polish video online showing a driver just as hopeless as me. Poor Asia in the video; her instructor makes some patronising remarks about her being blonde, well Asia, I salute you, as at least you remained calm, unlike me!
Zabwny polski film w którym Asia uczy się jeździć:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTzLL3xt5r0&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XTzLL3xt5r0&feature=related
Tuesday, 12 October 2010
Using Twitter in Research
As ‘PolishNewcastle’ I’ve just posted my 100th ‘tweet’ on Twitter. To celebrate I’m posting 10 examples of my information tweets here:
*Article about Geordie bus driver who moved to Zywiec in Poland: 'Taking Poles to Newcastle http://t.co/Khgb6fC @ The Evening Chronicle.
*PRI news article about how Polish parenting patterns are changing: http://www.theworld.org/2010/10/05/rethinking-parenting-in-poland
*Financial advice for enterprising Poles based in the UK: www.thisismoney.co.uk/savings-and-banking/polski/article.html (articles in Polish).
*Article about Geordie bus driver who moved to Zywiec in Poland: 'Taking Poles to Newcastle'- http://t.co/Khgb6fC @ The Evening Chronicle.
*Found this excellent site where you can source English-Polish children's books: http://www.little-linguist.co.uk/polish-for-children.html
*Good online article considering the outcomes of EU enlargement on Poland: http://www.migrationinformation.org/Profiles/display.cfm?ID=800
*North East pupil talks about her trip to Poland in the world's biggest storytelling project: http://www.cultureshock.org.uk/stories/poland
*Download a free reading and writing wall chart specially designed to help Polish children: http://www.thrass-downloads.com/ccdemo/Polish.swf
*This may be of use to all UK Polish parents considering sending a child to University: http://www.northumbria.ac.uk/brochure/prospar/polishparents
*Tesco have a dedicated website to promote the 250 Polish products they sell. Go to http://www.tesco.com/polski
*Online article from Emilia Lewandowska,Warsaw University, about Polish British identity: http://ebooks.iaccp.org/xian/PDFs/4_5Lewandowska.pdf
I use Twitter as a public space in which to share my research findings, interests and readings. It is also a way to promote my project, my work, and hopefully increase participation in my study. My research interviews are highlighting a lack of access points to specific information for Polish parents; information about child care vouchers or Polish-English language provision for example, so recently I have been using Twitter as means of passing on links to information I come across.
University-led research has long been criticised for failing to challenge issues of knowledge transfer. Poor knowledge management fails to address how information can cross from the private to the public domain. I hope to show that embracing social networking and microblogging such as Twitter allows researchers to be actively engaged players in the knowledge transfer process.
Jeśli chodzi o Twitterze: na Twitterze mam na imię ‘Polish Newcastle’. Używam Twitter jako miejsce do wymiany informacji i promować moją pracę.
Tuesday, 28 September 2010
Polish-English Baby Care Words
After an interview I conducted with a lovely Polish mum a few weeks ago we were having a chat and she was trying to help me with a few words in Polish, when it occurred to her that Polish words for baby related items were becoming harder for her to recall. I found this really interesting, in that chapters of our lives spent aboard, in this case, becoming a mother in Britain, reflect in the language we know and use. English baby care vocabulary had become part of her everyday.
Language is a recurrent theme in my interviews, it seems to give people a gauge as to who they believe they are, how ‘integrated’ into British society they feel, and how marked the difference between themselves and their children might be or become. Language seems to be one of the biggest areas of frustration and anxiety for Polish parents in the North East, who often link their ability in English to job prospects and future prospects for their family.
Thanks to this interview I've been inspired to look up some Polish-English baby care vocabulary myself:
krem na odparzenia - nappy rash cream
nawilżana chusteczka pielęgnacyjna - wet wipes
mata do przewijania - changing mat
nocnik - potty
kąpiel - baby bath
torba z przyborami do przewijania - changing bag
pielucha - nappy
łóżeczko dziecinne - cot
karuzela - cot mobile
materac - mattress
ochraniacz - cot bumper
prześcieradło - cot sheet
koc - blanket
kosz do noszenia dziecka - moses basket
zabawka - toy
lalka - doll
pluszowa zabawka - cuddly toy
domek do zabawy - playhouse
miś - teddy bear
grzechotka - rattle
kosz na zabawki - toy basket
piłka - ball
zamknięcie zabezpieczające - child locks
elektroniczna niania - baby monitor
bramka na schodach - stair gate
wysokie krzesełko - high chair
wózek spacerowy - pushchair
wózek dziecięcy - pram
nosidełko-gondola - carrycot
nosidełko - baby sling
kubeczek - sippy cup
butelka - bottle
karmić piersią - to breastfeed
podkoszulek - vest
pajacyk - babygro
zatrzask - sleep suit poppers
rękawiczki - mittens
buciki - booties
śpioszki - sleepsuit
rampers - romper suit
kombinezon zimowy - snowsuit
śliniaczek - bib
majtki ceratowe - training pants
kapelusz od słońca - sunhat
ogrodniczki - dungarees ('little gardeners'?...these are so cute!)
And here's some useful language learning resources:
For Polish-English exercise sheets, and learning resources try:
http://www.collinslanguage.com/extras/resources/easy-learning/polish.aspx
A fantastic blog for Polish language learners (like me), with podcasts and songs:
http://bloggypolish.co.uk/index.html
Do zobaczenia wkrótce!
Language is a recurrent theme in my interviews, it seems to give people a gauge as to who they believe they are, how ‘integrated’ into British society they feel, and how marked the difference between themselves and their children might be or become. Language seems to be one of the biggest areas of frustration and anxiety for Polish parents in the North East, who often link their ability in English to job prospects and future prospects for their family.
Thanks to this interview I've been inspired to look up some Polish-English baby care vocabulary myself:
krem na odparzenia - nappy rash cream
nawilżana chusteczka pielęgnacyjna - wet wipes
mata do przewijania - changing mat
nocnik - potty
kąpiel - baby bath
torba z przyborami do przewijania - changing bag
pielucha - nappy
łóżeczko dziecinne - cot
karuzela - cot mobile
materac - mattress
ochraniacz - cot bumper
prześcieradło - cot sheet
koc - blanket
kosz do noszenia dziecka - moses basket
zabawka - toy
lalka - doll
pluszowa zabawka - cuddly toy
domek do zabawy - playhouse
miś - teddy bear
grzechotka - rattle
kosz na zabawki - toy basket
piłka - ball
zamknięcie zabezpieczające - child locks
elektroniczna niania - baby monitor
bramka na schodach - stair gate
wysokie krzesełko - high chair
wózek spacerowy - pushchair
wózek dziecięcy - pram
nosidełko-gondola - carrycot
nosidełko - baby sling
kubeczek - sippy cup
butelka - bottle
karmić piersią - to breastfeed
podkoszulek - vest
pajacyk - babygro
zatrzask - sleep suit poppers
rękawiczki - mittens
buciki - booties
śpioszki - sleepsuit
rampers - romper suit
kombinezon zimowy - snowsuit
śliniaczek - bib
majtki ceratowe - training pants
kapelusz od słońca - sunhat
ogrodniczki - dungarees ('little gardeners'?...these are so cute!)
And here's some useful language learning resources:
For Polish-English exercise sheets, and learning resources try:
http://www.collinslanguage.com/extras/resources/easy-learning/polish.aspx
A fantastic blog for Polish language learners (like me), with podcasts and songs:
http://bloggypolish.co.uk/index.html
Do zobaczenia wkrótce!
Tuesday, 31 August 2010
Information for Parents in the North East
Something I’m learning from my research interviews with Polish parents is that it’s not always easy to find information about what’s on in this region. Nie zawsze łatwo znaleźć informacje na temat rodziny działań. Tutaj kilka pomysłow:
Where can I get information about what’s on for families in the North East?
Gdzie znaleźć informacja na temat rodziny działań w północno-wschodniej?
Netmums -
This is a great website for finding out about local classes / activities / children’s toys and clothes sales and for obtaining advice and making friends with local parents online. http://www.netmums.com/local//newcastle
Netmums- strona o lokalnych zajęcia dla rodziców / działalność rodzina / dzieci zabawki I ubrania sprzedaży i porady dla rodziców.
Get Your Tots Out -
This is a free guide for parents in the North East listing classes such as baby yoga and massage and good days out, such as Blue Reef Aquarium in Tynemouth and Bill Quay Farm. It’s written by local parents and has some good advice for everyone about parenting in this region. The authors also tell you how accessible the venues are for prams and buggies.
http://www.newcastlegateshead.com/2407/Get_Your_Tots_Out.html
Get Your Tots Out- Bezpłatne broszury dla rodziców w północno-wschodniej, informacje na temat zajęć, takich jak joga i masażu dla niemowląt, i miejsc do odwiedzenia.
The Little Pages -
A free guide to parents which you can pick up in hardcopy at most local libraries. It lists support groups, arts and craft classes, childcare and toddler groups, music and dance groups and softplay venues in this area. This directory also includes a calendar of local one off family events in the North East such as fetes and festivals, exhibitions and picnics.
http://www.the-little-pages.co.uk/
The Little Pages - Bezpłatne broszury na temat grup wsparcia, sztuka i klasy rzemiosła, opieki nad dziećmi i grup dla małych dzieci, muzyki i tańca i miejsc ‘softplay’ w północno-wschodniej.
Sure Start Centres –
These centres are a government funded provision currently available to all parents in the UK which aims to provide health advice, parenting and family support, play sessions and information on local childcare options, and links to services and training support for parents and carers.
In this area Sure Start Centres can be found in the following areas: Ouseburn, South Heaton, Walkergate, Newcastle East, Gosforth and Parklands, North Moor, North Village, Newbiggin Hall, Westerhope, Denton, Newburn, Lemington, Cowgate and Blakelaw, Fenham, North Fenham, Woodlands, west Riverside, Armstrong and Westgate.
http://www.surestartnewcastlecc.org.uk/site
Sure Start Centres - Sure Start Centre oferuje informacje do wszystkich rodziców za darmo. Oferują informacji o lokalne grupy dzieci, porady zdowotne I wsparcie dla rodziców.
You'll also find information about local baby and toddler groups and support groups in your local free newspaper, on p.14 of The Chronicle Extra for example.
Można znaleźć informacje na temat lokalnych grup dla dzieci, i grupy wsparcia w lokalnej wolnej gazecie, na przykład The Chronicle Extra.
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