Those who love art, I love them: creative expressive arts as a pathway to belonging and safety for migrants and locals (2024)
Migration is increasing while a sense of belonging is threatened within diverse communities. The Social Identity Approach presents a pathway towards belonging, and Allport’s Contact Hypothesis outlines necessary conditions for positive contact amongst culturally diverse groups. The present study extends these theories by exploring the impact of creative expressive contact in the development of intercultural shared social identity. Fifteen community members of select Give Something Back to Berlin programs participated in semi-structured interviews and an art activity about their experiences within social inclusion projects which utilize Expressive-Arts. The interviews were analyzed using realist, hybrid deductive inductive Reflexive Thematic Analysis. The projects were found to enable safety, cooperation, and value for community members with creative contact as the tool and medium. These findings suggest two additional conditions of contact for Allport’s Hypothesis: consistency and creative approach. These additions could lead to more collaborative “safe” spaces which allow for belonging within diversity.
Keywords: psychologia