Background
I am a PhD researcher in this socio-legal project, working with sub-Saharan migrants who are living in Morocco. I explore how they deal with the formal and informal aspects of major life events, specifically marriage, birth and death. I have a background in political science, international relations and anthropology.
Most memorable experience
Doing this research led me to meet and listen to the stories of many people, all with their own unique personalities and styles. It is difficult to choose only one ‘most memorable experience’ because there have been many. But one that I will always cherish is meeting my participants in person for the first time after almost a year of online talks during the Covid-pandemic. Taking the train to Fes, being greeted by my fieldwork coordinator and accompanying him to the football field to meet the group, then sharing a meal afterwards, all while feeling like we had known each other for years was quite special.
Saddest experience
Considering the time and conversations we had, it is hard not to get attached and care about all of them beyond the ‘duty of care’ that comes with research and fieldwork. So when I received the news that one of them passed away only a few weeks before we were supposed to first meet in person, I was shocked. This, undoubtedly, was the saddest experience in this project.
Favorite video
While filming the videos on this website, I can associate each one with a specific sensory memory, whether it was the loud music at the café where we asked the waiter many times to decrease the volume (to no avail), or the long walk to the cemetery under the hot sun of Fes, or perhaps all the kids playing around while the ‘grown-ups were working.’ Yet, there is one specific quote from a participant that struck a chord with me. As he was explaining the impact of the absence of personal records on migrants’ recognition in death, he says “But that is the story of migrants.” Check out the blog entry titled "We don't know each other's real names, so how are we meant to find their graves" for more context. Perhaps it will resonate with you too.
What stayed with me the most
Last but not least, what stayed with me the most is the amount of stories I was able to witness. With that being said, doing fieldwork and making the videos was not all sunshine and rainbows. There were times when I was faced with my own privilege and had doubts about my own capacity to handle tricky situations that inevitably come up during this kind of research. However, I would not change that because I learned to come to terms with it and grow into a more experienced researcher who is able to better manage these situations, at least that is my hope.