Artefactual Narratives of Multilingual Identity: Methodological and Ethical Considerations in Researching Children

Researching multilingualism and identity in the age of superdiversity (Vertovec, 2007) requires new theoretical concepts of language and more appropriate methodological tools (Martin-Jones and Martin, 2017; García et al, 2017). Despite the growing body of research into multilingualism, the one domain that has been ignored until recently is the study of objects or physical artefacts that connect our meaning-making to the symbolism of the material world around us. In research with children, material tools offer interesting avenues for investigating early multilingualism through the creative ways in which children communicate. From an ethical perspective, this methodological approach has the potential to position children as knowledgeable and active agents in the research process, thus respecting their insights into their experience of multilingual living.