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2025 IMISCOE PhD Summer School - Developing a sensory methodology in migration studies
The PhD Summer School in Lisbon brought together doctoral students from around the world, including Iryna Gokhman, to explore innovative approaches to research on migration and social change, with a special focus on visual and sensory methods. The Summer School, held from 25–29 August 2025, was hosted in Lisbon and organised under the IMISCOE framework. It offered an intensive program of lectures, workshops, and fieldwork sessions, running from morning to evening, and designed to foster cross-disciplinary learning and exchange among 25 PhD researchers, many of whom brought prior experience in the arts.
Throughout the week, participants engaged with sessions on a wide range of topics, including the history of visual epistemologies, mapping migratory movements, dark tourism, and video activism, as well as critical reflections on the ethics of visual and sensory research. The program also emphasised the role of artistic curation and community leadership in achieving social impact. These workshops expanded participants’ methodological toolkits and gave them confidence to integrate visual and sensory approaches into their own doctoral research.
As part of a photography group, Iryna joined colleagues in conducting fieldwork in Lisbon’s Bairro das Anjos neighbourhood, an area marked by both colonial legacies and contemporary migration. Together, the group developed a visual essay that traced how homemaking practices leave visible imprints in a community undergoing transition from a colonial past to a migration-shaped present. The work unfolded in four stages: an exploratory tour of the neighbourhood, categorisation of photographic elements, thematic identification, and final selection of images. This collaborative project was presented at the Summer School’s closing event, where all participants shared their creative findings.
Summer School involvement deepened Iryna’s understanding of the ethical challenges of working with visual data and the importance of avoiding simplistic or victimising portrayals of displaced communities. The workshops and fieldwork encouraged her to think critically about whose narratives are highlighted, which questions remain unanswered, and how sensory approaches can offer richer insights into migrant lives. One of the most valuable experiences was the collaborative spirit of the program, which not only broadened Iryna’s methodological skills but also built a network of supportive peers working on similar themes worldwide.