Ethnographic fieldwork in Quito and Barcelona (Polina Palash)
February 11th, 2016 by Niels
Between August 2015 and March 2016, TRANSMIC PhD researcher Polina Palash carried out the first part of her ethnographic fieldwork in Ecuador and Spain, interviewing Ecuadorian migrants and their families as well as key stakeholders on the topic of social security in those two countries. Ecuador is an important origin country of Latin American migrants in Southern Europe, with emerging reconfigurations of family networks and reorganisation of transnational social protection arrangements between family members.
Explorative fieldwork in the capital of Ecuador, Quito, disclosed two relevant issues: (1) the return of Ecuadorian migrants from Europe and (2) the impact of this dynamic on family wellbeing.
Thereafter, Polina carried out fieldwork in Barcelona, tracing the first of three multi-sited fieldworks aimed to be achieved during the research. During this catalan experience, Polina met a significant number of migrant families and attended plenty of events organised by this ethnic group in Barcelona, while also appearing in the local press.
