What methodologies for the collection of testimonies from immigrants?

Résumé du document

This work is aimed at approaching the memory of the African and Turkish immigrants in Lorraine. This region cannot be ignored today as it has on its soil a "mixed and motley" population, and in terms of mixing of populations, it differs from other territories of France. As Pierre Bardelli, one of the initiators of the conference hosted by Lorraine Land on mixing of populations noted, it is "historically yours?. Moreover, Gerard Noiriel emphasizes the idea that we should not consider his history as a fixed story, but rather as a constant back and forth between past and present. Since about 1890, due to exponential regional industrialization and lack of crucial manpower, hundreds of thousands of immigrants have been called in to work. Therefore, they are border people of Eastern Europe and South America, the Maghreb, Black Africa, and Turks who all share the same territories. The idea of this work is to present the methodological part on the collections of stories based on the observation that the memory of African people from the River Senegal and Turkey had little visibility in the face of others.

Extraits

[...] We conducted a dozen interviews between September 24 and October days after the attacks of September 11. At the outset, a sense of mistrust was evident in the precautions taken by the interviewees; they fear our light, symbolizing that of French. So we met the following difficulties exacerbated by the political context: Denial of sound recording, making notes, or maintenance. For those who have accepted the exchange, we are bent to their demands: with registration or not, taking notes or not, time to call at their convenience, in the presence of other witnesses selected by them This forced us to revisit the field and our approach to adapt to the interviewees, so that after each interview, we had to record everything that was said and what we observed: time and place maintenance, presence or absence of other people, silences, gestures, remarks prior off- topic, pre-content analysis, open questions, checking to do next. [...]

[...] Because we had previously, explaining why the investigation and the need for interviews. Thus we have established contacts with the association Ataturquie who gave us the official list of retailers which she explained the research objectives. She also provided objective information about them: date of arrival in the neighborhood, work and possibly relationship between them. Then she put at our disposal, a young Turkish woman employee of the association whose function was based on two missions: to serve as interpreter when necessary and mediator among respondents. [...]

[...] They call themselves foutanckais themselves. Sub-prefecture of the Vosges. See other professionals from education and social: psychologist, social worker, Educator, etc . I did not travel to Mauritania because of political problems and tensions between the two areas. To serve as an interpreter when necessary and re-explain the project. Being alone to conduct the interview, I took no notes and only the exit interviews that I wrote everything that seemed essential for the continuation of my work. [...]

[...] Conclusion Such work still serves me food for thought regarding the issue of testimony in excess of that focus solely on immigration. Indeed, researchers interested in the testimony and memory in an example of historical or ethnographic had problems similar to those we ask ourselves here: the development of protocols for maintenance, subject-related interview The reliability of data verification procedures, forms of dissemination and use that researchers can or should witness. References F. Roth, dir., Lorraine Land and home brewing, Nancy, Presses Universitaires de Nancy p The conference (Longlaville - Longwy, 12/13 October 2000) was the first step in a research project in the contract plan State-Region: dynamics of development of regions and Europe (2000-2006 G. [...]

[...] Then, over a period of six months, I conducted thirty interviews. For the collection of these words sometimes personal, I met two approaches: the one I called informal and conversely, those who remained throughout the investigation formal. It is through having shared time with first generation women in helping their children with homework or as a link between them and the teachers that I have known privately. These moments helped to establish a relationship of dialogue, awareness and understanding of some know-how and being such as polygamy, arranged marriage, the Koranic school. [...]