ABSTRACT
This chapter considers research that used the picturebook The Arrival (by Shaun Tan, 2006) to explore the school experiences of migrant primary school learners in South Africa. Against the background of migration and education in South Africa, and the picturebook as a research tool to offer representation and ‘voice’ to migrant learners, the chapter explores the concept of ‘silence’ as part of voice. Drawing on excerpts from research with migrant learners, including their responses to tasks focusing on particular scenes in the book, it offers analysis and discussion of the idea of silence as resistance to simplistic representation of migrant learners’ identities, particularly drawing on Spyrou’s (2016) conceptualisations of ‘wavering silence’ and silence as a response to ‘being silenced’, and Morrow and Richards’ (1996) notion of ‘informed dissent’. Ultimately, the chapter calls for greater attention to be paid to research participants’ ‘silences’ as part of ‘voice’ and an ethical approach to research.
