Collection 

European perspectives on migration: media narratives and societal discourses after 2015

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Closed
Submission deadline

This special Collection covers and analyses the varieties of media narratives and their societal reception in post-2015 Europe. It aims to bring together papers from different countries and different scientific fields (e.g. political sciences, sociology, anthropology, media studies) focusing critically on the following issues:

  • Media narratives and frames
  • Media stereotypes
  • Including and othering
  • The discursive construction of a "migrant”
  • Migration perception and rhetoric
  • Societal responses to migration and migrants

We look at the post-2015 landscape because migration is still crucial in many—and not only—European countries. While the scholarship concerning the so-called “European Refugee Crisis” is quite robust, most of the works focus on the “Kodak moment” or are very issue-specific and lack the longitudinal advantage. Moreover, the problem of migration and migration discourses present in the media is still one of the critical factors shaping the political and societal landscape in Europe. Pro- and anti-migration frames, narratives, and images are still present in the media and employed by various political forces, subsequently reverberating in public opinion.

Our call is based on one cardinal premise that media representations of migrants are critical for the healthy coexistence of migrants with the host society. Moreover, if we look at the media, it is appropriate to consider how the media present not so much the conventionally known but not yet sufficiently processed knowledge of “what everyone needs to know about migrants.” Finally, it is vital to bear in mind that we live in a post-factual age where the media works to entertain, give an impression of objectivity and simultaneously strive to shape the opinion.

We welcome papers that aim to answer topical research questions:

  • How do media portrait migrants in different countries post-2015 momentum?
  • How are the media framing, priming, and narrating migration and migrants in post-2015 Europe?
  • What patterns, discourses, and issues are connected to migration and migrants across post-2015 Europe?
  • Does the media representation change in time? How does the situation differ in different countries?
  • What are the societal responses to media migration-related narratives?
  • What is the dynamic between patterning, cognitive processing and social behaviour towards migrants?
  • Is there a media-reality gap or a gap between migration media frames (what is produced and delivered) and migration audience frames (what is in people’s head)?

We are looking for either conceptual and theoretical papers or case studies based on sound fieldwork. We welcome both qualitative and quantitative studies, including traditional approaches (surveys, experiments, focus groups, content analysis) and more innovative methodologies (social media networks analysis, social scientific computational methods).

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