Affiliation: Scoala Nationala de Studii Politice si Administrative (RO)
Abstract: The project approaches the construction of intra-EU migration as a public issue in the media and political sphere in Romania. Our research will highlight patterns of mediatising and legitimising diasporic identity as well as the underlying strategic use of this theme in the context of media and political debates and policies initiation. According to our research hypothesis, the theme of new migration is strategically used in the public space, triggering positioning, agendas and institutional engagements. The main research questions are: what visibility patterns do media generate with reference to intra-EU migrants? What is the impact of the diasporic phenomenon on political-governmental communication? How is the ‘moral distance’ towards the diasporic community symbolically negotiated in terms of debatable topics and strategic interests of the participants in the debate? How media negotiate the turn from ‘individual’, ‘event’ and ‘case’ to ‘general interest’ and ‘public issue’? The project mainly develops theories referring to diaspora, media public space and the construction of public issues. The constructivist research model – on which this project is based as well – supposes the use of mixed research methods generally employed in analysis of public discourse. Building on this foundation, the project will analyze the construction of agendas, media representations and deliberative mechanisms referring to diasporic identity in the context of intra-EU migration.
