Migration and Visual Culture: A Theological Exploration of Identity, Catholic Imagery and Popular culture among Polish Young

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This project will introduce new perspectives on how faith is changing in contemporary Britain by studying the visual culture of Polish young people who have migrated to the UK. The research will explore the extent to which religious identity supports these young people, as both social and theological capital, through the experience of migration while at the same time it is reconfigured and renegotiated in relation to a mediated popular culture. Visual research methods will be used to examine both imagery from popular culture and imagery from the Catholic tradition are sources of identity and identification for Polish migrant young people. The research will develop new ways to study religion in the UK drawn from visual research methods, cultural studies and theology. The research is shaped by an understanding of how identity and representation interrelate drawn from cultural studies and by a reading of the popular as theologically significant. This interdisciplinary approach is innovative firstly because it deals with both religious expression and popular culture as part of an interrelated flow of representation that shapes the visual culture of young people. The research will examine the flow of representation as it is articulated with religious identity. Secondly it is significant because it seeks to read both the representation and the way that representation operates as a source for identification as theologically significant. The project combines visual research methods with perspectives from Practical Theology. This theological approach will not only contribute to the understanding of young people and religion in Britain but it is also designed as a collaborative and transformative approach to Practical Theology. So through participation in the research process and also the analysis and presentation of data young people, researchers and ministerial and community arts professionals will collaborate together in order that they will develop their understanding of the shifting nature of belief in the UK. As well as combining qualitative research methods, theology and theoretical perspectives drawn from cultural studies the it is a feature of the proposal is that it includes a substantial artistic element. Thus as part of the research through a variety of activities young people will develop a portfolio of visual material and present their work at an art exhibition to be held in the Catholic Cathedral.The project supports the work of a new researcher and it has been designed with the collaboration of ministerial professionals from the Catholic Diocese of Plymouth and community artists from the Plymouth Arts Centre.