Lockdown in post-Brexit Britain: how did it feel for EU citizens?

Abstract

This study (https://www.eunationalsstudy.com) examines the effects of the Coronavirus epidemic and Brexit on the emotional wellbeing of middle-aged European citizens who have transnational caring responsibilities in the UK and in Europe. This qualitative research funded by the British Academy was conducted using an art-based method where participants were first asked to produce some form of artwork (a drawing, a collage, a photograph, a video or even a piece of music) and were then interviewed by the team. Our emphasis was less focused on their political stances and views about the restrictions and reduction of their freedoms, and more on the affective, emotional states that these restrictions might have created for them. In this presentation, some preliminary results of the analysis will be discussed, focussing on the themes emerging from both the artworks and the in-depth interviews conducted with 25 European citizens living in different UK regions. The themes are indexed as the emotions and feelings they described while exposing to us the meaning of their art. During the conversations, detailed aspects of their experience after Brexit and during lockdown unfolded, creating a communication that many of them defined as "therapeutic". The webinar also featured live discussion between Paulina Trevena (University of Glasgow) and Justyna Pilarska (University of Wroclaw), as well as open debate with the audience.

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https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

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Repository URI

https://rgu-repository.worktribe.com/output/1695320