Visible, invisible and in between: Stories of ESEA women in urban Scotland

What the paper says

This Open Space piece critically engages with the experiences of East and Southeast Asian (ESEA) women navigating urban spaces in Scotland, examining the tensions between visibility, belonging and exclusion. Drawing on photovoice as a feminist participatory methodology, the project brings together visual letters and reflective narratives that capture how moments of temporary inclusion often coexist with enduring neglect and invisibility. Through a series of visual correspondences, this piece foregrounds the ways in which ESEA women encounter public spaces that are alternately inviting and alienating. Temporary cultural events and community-led gatherings may offer brief moments of belonging, but these often contrast with a pervasive sense of conditional recognition. The project highlights how the city’s willingness to embrace diversity can feel borrowed and fragile, welcoming when culturally convenient and withdrawn once the event ends. By weaving together personal testimonies and critical reflections, this piece challenges the notion that visibility alone constitutes genuine inclusion, calling for a deeper understanding of how urban spaces shape the lived experiences of ESEA women.