Experimento 1: Algoritmos de clasificación por defecto

I commenced my documentary research by looking at oral histories accessing sources such as archival material relevant to the timeframe, which was available through the State Library of Western Australia and the Ancestry.com database. This preliminary work was used to supplement the interview data.

In accordance with a new ethnographic approach (Saukko, 2003), I organised in-depth interviews to be conducted in the women’s homes, at a time that best suited them. Interviews were conducted in the home so that the women would feel

comfortable and relaxed in their surroundings, and to provide easy access to their mementoes, which featured in the photo-narratives. Interviews did not commence until after I had obtained completed written consent forms. All interviews were recorded using a digital audio recording device to be later transcribed by myself. The interviews were guided by the use of open-ended questions (Appendix D) to prompt the women toward open discussion about their immigration and settlement

experiences. I kept a reflective journal to record my thoughts and observations after each interview as part of the process of identifying my own personal ways of

viewing the world, the participants’ viewpoints and whether there were any points of alignment or difference. Each of the women were given a professionally printed 10 inch x 12 inch portrait of themselves as a token of appreciation for their participation in the study.

Name Birth

year Immigrated Age Destination

Transport method

Age in 2016

Johanna 1928 1954 26 Perth Ship 88

Frauke 1939 1967 28 Perth Plane 77

Gisela 1943 1969 26 Perth Plane 73

Each woman participated in three interviews conducted on three separate occasions, over several weeks (Appendix E). Each interview lasted no longer than two hours. The first meeting consisted of in-depth interviews regarding the women’s settlement experiences and sense of belonging in relation to their cultural identity. The second meeting involved taking photographs of the women and the mementoes that they nominated as representing their cultural identity. The women were asked how these mementoes symbolised their identity. The final meeting comprised showing each woman the diptych photo-narrative to gather individual responses to the photograph to establish whether or not the image accurately portrayed her cultural identity in visual form.

Prior to conducting each interview, I discussed the topic with each of the women and encouraged them to ask questions about the study. At the first interview, participants were informed that they could withdraw from the study at any time without penalty, should they wish to do so. Each person was informed that they had the option to be de-identified in the text but that they may be identifiable through the photographic narrative component of the study. Once the women signed the consent forms signifying their agreement to the research terms, the first interviews formally commenced. All of the women participated in one in-depth interview that was directed by the interview guide. Questions were open ended to stimulate discussion and promote a conversational environment that allowed for prompting and expansion on topics when necessary. This process aligned with the methodological approach consisting of gathering information through a focussed discussion and following up on points for clarity, where required, while allowing for expression of events in their own way (Harvey & MacDonald, 1993, pp. 205-206; Sherman-Heyl, 2001, p. 369). Rapport was established in two ways: first through asking participants initial questions relating to their immigration to Australia including the year they arrived, how old they were, their reason for migrating, and where they first lived upon arrival; and second through the use of supportive actions such as smiling and nodding encouragingly, and using remarks that showed understanding or alignment with the discussion topic (Harvey & MacDonald, 1993, p. 206). The interview progressed to asking participants to describe their settlement experiences, including interactions and engagement with Australian customs and culture, knowledge and awareness of the Australian way of life, women’s roles as housewives and mothers,

employment and social network connections, and how connections were maintained to their German identity. In the final stage of the interview participants were asked to describe their cultural identity in 2016. Following this interview structure allowed for probing and clarification of information, where necessary, whilst keeping the

conversation engaging and focused. At the end of each interview, the women were thanked for their time and participation.

Photographic narrative

The creative photographic component comprised of taking two photographs: a portrait of each woman plus a photograph of memorabilia that was determined by the owner to convey their cultural identity. This diptych photo-narrative was intended to be read as one image: a portrait of the person’s cultural identity. To create the diptychs, I drew on Sarah Pink’s (2007) theories of visual ethnography. At the end of the first interview, I organised a second meeting to photograph the women and their mementoes. I discussed with the women selecting material objects and mementoes that signified their cultural identity and encouraged them to ask questions. All photographs were taken at the women’s homes to ensure maximum comfort and easy access to their mementoes. At the second meeting, prior to taking photographs, I explained the photographic processes and discussed the women’s preferred locations in the home for the portraits to be taken. The women had the opportunity to talk about their mementoes, prior to the photographs being taken, which provided an opportunity for them to ask more questions and revise their choice of selected memorabilia, as occurred on two occasions. These discussions served to inform as well as create awareness in myself of the women’s nervousness about being photographed. By taking the time to explain the process, I was able to establish a rapport and create a relaxed atmosphere. The mementoes were photographed first and the women’s portraits were taken second. The women were then asked to describe how their selected mementoes symbolised their German and/or Australian identities. The photographic sessions ranged between 60 and 90 minutes.

I used an analogue Asahi Pentax 6x7 medium format camera to take the portrait photographs and a Lumix GF2 digital SLR camera to photograph the

mementoes. I chose to use the analogue camera for the portraits because the 105mm F2.4 lens provides a very shallow depth of field that is suited to portrait photography.

The focal point is sharp on a small specific focus area and the remaining sections of the image are then softly blurred. Additionally, the use of professional 120 colour film produces a deep colour richness in photographs, particularly when printed. The 120 film was developed by a professional print lab and I scanned the negatives to create a digital negative. The high standard of the film quality and images meant that only minor photo editing using Photoshop, such as cropping and slight colour

adjustment, was required. I emailed each person their portrait images to choose one photograph that they liked best, to be printed. This process was performed to

generate interest in the diptychs and create trust in my photographic expertise (Pink, 2007, p. 73). The nominated photograph was then professionally printed in a 10 inch x 12 inch format on art stock paper. The Lumix digital SLR was used for the

mementoes so the images could be checked for correct exposure, blur and framing at the time of taking the photographs. The memento images also underwent minor photo editing using Photoshop. Photographs of the women’s mementoes and their portrait were selected based on composition, framing, lighting, colour and how well the paired images worked to create a diptych that best conveyed each woman’s cultural identity.

I returned for a third meeting with the women to show them the final diptych photo-narrative image. I explained that the diptych was intended to be read as one image, that of a portrait of their cultural identity. The women were asked to respond to their ‘portraits’ and describe their impressions looking at a visual representation of their cultural identity in relation to two cultures: German and Australian. They were also asked to comment on whether or not they felt the photo-narrative was successful in depicting their cultural identity. These final images were shown to the women on a laptop computer. The final meetings ranged between 30 and 60 minutes.