Representing the "European refugee crisis" in Germany and beyond: Deservingness and difference, life and death

ABSTRACT The European refugee crisis has gained worldwide attention with daily media coverage both in and outside Germany. Representations of refugees in media and political discourse in relation to Germany participate in a Gramscian “war of position” over symbols, policies, and, ultimately, social...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American ethnologist Vol. 43; no. 1; pp. 12 - 24
Main Authors: HOLMES, SETH M., CASTAÑEDA, HEIDE
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Arlington Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.02.2016
Wiley Subscription Services, Inc
Subjects:
Anthropology
Anxiety
Blame
Crises
Cultural differences
Deservingness
Discourse
Displaced persons
Germany
Internet
Management of crises
Mass media images
Media coverage
Migrants
Political discourse
Politics
Refugees
Germany
ISSN:0094-0496, 1548-1425
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:ABSTRACT The European refugee crisis has gained worldwide attention with daily media coverage both in and outside Germany. Representations of refugees in media and political discourse in relation to Germany participate in a Gramscian “war of position” over symbols, policies, and, ultimately, social and material resources, with potentially fatal consequences. These representations shift blame from historical, political‐economic structures to the displaced people themselves. They demarcate the “deserving” refugee from the “undeserving” migrant and play into fear of cultural, religious, and ethnic difference in the midst of increasing anxiety and precarity for many in Europe. Comparative perspectives suggest that anthropology can play an important role in analyzing these phenomena, highlighting sites of contestation, imagining alternatives, and working toward them. [refugee, media, immigration, crisis, Germany, Europe]
Bibliography:istex:709BBED67F497AD5CE4BEEB905274A7FADC36EEF
ArticleID:AMET12259
ark:/67375/WNG-3J5K94T5-B
ObjectType-Article-1
SourceType-Scholarly Journals-1
ObjectType-Feature-2
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ISSN:0094-0496
1548-1425
DOI:10.1111/amet.12259