Families confronted with poverty and bereavement: using creativity to connect.

The central focus of the research we are doing is meaning (re)construction in families facing poverty when confronted with bereavement. Relatedly, we want to explore the possible roles of (bereavement) rituals, described by Romanoff and Terenzio (1998, p. 698) as 'the use of symbols within a performance framework'. We have chosen an arts-based inquiry approach to work with bereavement narratives as thickly described materials, and to build up a locally useful project in collaboration with the participating families (see e.g. Denzin, 2001; Finley, 2008). In this workshop, we want to relate the project's focus to relevant literature and practice, clarify the research design and examine the possibilities of translating research findings into film to engage diverse audiences. We also invite you to join us in discussing some of the above-mentioned themes and the usefulness of the project's design to effect social change.