The Self Representation of Young Female Montrealers of Haitian Origin
This article is about the self-representation of young female Montrealers of Haitian origin (15-24 years of age) born in Québec. Our intention is to document and analyse their own perceptions and modes of expression (videos, drawings, pictures, etc.) which they use to represent themselves with. By focusing on their self-representation, we will explore the role and the impacts of these images within the context of dynamic inclusion as well as social and cultural exclusion which characterizes the cosmopolitan society of Montreal : do these « techniques of the self » (Foucault 1985) constitute alternatives to a « violence towards the subject of representation » (Saïd 2014 :13) ? Do their media productions confine them (production and stimulation of pre-existing stereotypes) or free them (« liberate them by exposing..., rewarding them with an appropriate appearance », Didi-Huberman 2012 :144) ? What is the variety of these expressions of the self ? How do virtual identities develop themselves ? Do these virtual identities contribute to plans of action ?