Fieldwork

The NQIfFM project has an important empirical dimension. The fieldwork includes semi-structured life-history interviews in each location, online and in person. Our participants include anyone who identifies themselves as LGBTIQ+ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, intersex, queer and other, under any category).  

Our methodology uses creative practices because of the strong artistic and folk traditions of poetry in Iran. Poetry in Iran is indeed a communal countercultural discourse for political dissent. Queer romance has a long history in Persian poetry. By employing poetic inquiry, we can gain insight into the emotional and symbolic aspects of identity renegotiation following forced migration. Our fieldwork thus includes poetry workshops to talk with participants about a familiar poem that they feel expresses their refugee journey, exile, and potential sense of (un)belonging in their host country. We also work with each participant on an individual basis, in person or online, to create short poems that express their journeys.