Visual Storytelling as a Tool of Social Integration in Transnational Contexts

This research article examines visual storytelling as a key mechanism of social integration in transnational contexts. It argues that storytelling through visual media enables migrants to construct and communicate identity across cultural and institutional boundaries. The study focuses on the role of narrative in producing recognition, showing how visual storytelling allows migrants to present themselves as coherent social actors rather than simplified categories. It demonstrates that narrative structures transform individual experience into communicable forms that support symbolic inclusion in host societies. The article also analyzes how visual narratives shape public perception by normalizing migrant presence, contextualizing everyday life, and personalizing migration experiences. Through these mechanisms, visual storytelling contributes to expanding the range of representations within public discourse. Particular attention is given to creative professionals, whose work mediates between lived experience and broader audiences. Their visual practices contribute to the formation of collective narratives and to the restructuring of symbolic frameworks in transnational environments. The study further considers the structural conditions of visual storytelling, including digital platforms and inequalities of visibility. It introduces narrative agency as a key concept describing the capacity of migrants to produce and circulate their own representations, influencing social perception and participation.