Research With Communities, Not On Them
Since 2017, The Migration Collective has pioneered participatory research methodologies that center migrant and survivor voices in knowledge production about irregular migration across South Asia, MENA, and beyond.
Our Research Practice
We don't study communities — we work with them. Our research is:
Survivor-Centered
Co-designed with those who hold lived expertise
Trauma-Informed
Built on principles of safety, trust, transparency, and healing
Decolonial
Challenging who gets to be an "expert" on migration and who benefits from that knowledge
Methodologically Innovative
From healing circles to participatory mapping to "forgetting as resistance"
Accountable
Knowledge that serves the communities who created it, not just academic careers
Our Commitments
We commit to working with communities through:
Co-Design From The Start
Research questions shaped together, not imposed
Ongoing Consent
Not just one-time permission, but continuous conversation
Shared Ownership
Communities decide how their knowledge is used
Reciprocity
Ensuring our work serves those who participate in it
Healing-Centered Approaches
Research that doesn't re-traumatize
Research Themes
Migration & Mobility
Working with communities navigating irregular migration, smuggling networks, displacement patterns, and transnational movement to understand their experiences on their own terms.
Gender & Migration
Engaging with the gendered dimensions of migration, women's migration experiences, and masculinities in trafficking vulnerability through participatory approaches.
Climate & Displacement
Partnering with communities facing climate-induced migration, coastal displacement, and environmental injustice to document impacts and co-create responses.
Featured Projects
Migration & Mobility
Understanding migration patterns through community-led research initiatives.
View Project →
Gender Dimensions
Exploring the specific challenges faced by women and girls in displacement.
View Project → Our Methodologies
The Migration Collective has developed and adapted participatory research methods that center community expertise:
Healing Circles
Group-based approaches that create safe spaces for sharing experiences while building collective understanding and mutual support
Participatory Mapping
Community-created visual representations of migration routes, networks, and experiences that challenge official narratives
Oral Histories
Long-form storytelling that honors complexity and allows people to narrate their experiences on their own terms
Community-Based Research Collectives
Training community members as co-researchers who shape questions, collect data, and interpret findings
Forgetting As Resistance
Respecting communities' right not to share, recognizing that some knowledge should remain within communities
Arts-Based Methods
Using photography, animation, and visual storytelling to make research accessible and honor non-textual forms of knowledge
Writing & Animation
Our research extends beyond traditional academic outputs. We work with communities to create:
- Long-form narrative writing that honors complexity and dignity
- Visual storytelling and animation co-developed with communities
- Interactive installations engaging publics through embodied migration narratives
- Community-authored publications platforming voices typically excluded from "expert" discourse
Research Partnerships
We welcome research partnerships with organizations and institutions committed to:
- Community-centered methodologies
- Trauma-informed practice
- Equitable research relationships
- Knowledge that serves participants