Unpacking the Complex Impact of Digital Storytelling in Migration Research: An Empowering Method?

The objective of this article is to examine the potential empowering impact of digital storytelling (DST) as a participatory, art-based research method, particularly with young adults with migration backgrounds. Drawing on a DST workshop conducted in Luxembourg as part of a European project on migrant integration, the study explores how creative, participant-led digital storytelling can foster engagement in knowledge production and contribute to feelings of empowerment. Rather than viewing empowerment as a fixed outcome, the research highlights its processual and relational nature—emerging through reflection, narrative construction, and shared vulnerability. The analysis is based on digital stories created by three participants, as well as interviews conducted immediately after the workshop and one year later. These data reveal how participants navigated self-representation, negotiated visibility and privacy, and developed a deeper understanding of their lived experiences through the process of creating their own digital story.