Migration: Acculturation Process, Cultural Identity Development, and Art Therapy Imagery of Adolescent Migrants

The migration process implies a redefinition of one's cultural identity as well as exposure to acculturative stress linked to the process of acculturation. This research project intends to investigate the art of adolescents that have undergone the process of migration. It has for aim to describe cultural identity, migration, and the acculturation process, and it will also discuss the implication of these issues for art therapy. These issues will be related to the imagery made by adolescent migrants during their adaptation process, which will be illustrated through two case vignettes. These will portray how the migration experience may be expressed through art and clinical exchanges. The North American context is a welcoming ground for a variety of migrant individuals and groups; the resulting blending of cultures is in perpetual expansion in this particular society which renders research that tackles issues of culture and relocation invaluable. Current art therapy research has discussed the importance of cultural identity, however, discussion of symbolism and imagery related to cultural identity and the migration and post-migration process is scarce. Research underlining how these issues may be worked through the clinical context and how they are expressed in the art, may prove valuable for art therapists who intend to work with these issues or with a migrant populatio