Mapping Difficult Stories, Elise Olmedo, 6 avril 2019, Washington

Elise Olmedo interviendra le 6 avril 2019 au congrès annuel de l’American Association of Geographers à Washington, DC. Elle présentera une recherche sur la cartographie sensible et narrative réalisée en collaboration avec des personnes issues des communautés romani à Toulon dans le cadre de l’enquête-collecte en lien avec une exposition autour des “Métiers et savoirs-faire romani en Europe et Méditerranée” qui aura lieu au Mucem en 2022. Son intervention s’inscrit dans une session sur la cartographie narrative proposée par Ann Knowles (Université du Maine) et Sébastien Caquard (Université Concordia, Montréal).

Abstract
This contribution to the session ‘’Mapping Difficult Stories’’ will explore a work now leading at the French Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilizations (Mucem). This presentation involves one example of the using of sensitive narrative mapping method in the case of the professional stories of Romani people from Marseille. The sensitive and narrative map is a reflection and communication tool, and in the present case it allows for materialization of stories by the prism of socio-professional life trajectory. In considering places, we will put the attention on access difficulties to the labour market, work conditions, multi-skilling of Romani people and specific craftmanship, with a special focus on exclusion and stigmatisation manifesting itself through professional experiences. This presentation aims to share reflections on mapping difficulties in this context, especially on the collaboration in a long-term and very qualitative work. In addition, we wil also discuss the specific help and conditions of collaboration in the museum context of production of a corpus reporting stories in an exhibition. This project is composed of an exhibition hosted by the Mucem in 2021 and a field survey led by interdisciplinary researchers which could enrich the framework of the exhibit. This survey associates Romani people, local non-governemental organizations who are working directly with interdisciplinary researchers in social science investigating different kinds of fields in the South of France and in Mediterranean areas. A written, photographical and cartographical documentation and collections of objects is expected thank these investigations, some of which will be presented in the exhibition.

Illustration : L’arrivée à Sallange (Savoie). Une cartographie narrative réalisée dans le cadre de l’enquête-collecte “Métiers et savoir-faire romani” en Europe et Méditerranée” au Mucem. Crédits : Elise Olmedo, Sasha Zanko, 2019.