Narratives on Migration: From Words to Perceptions

Abstract

This chapter is devoted to the analysis of political leaders’ and media’s narratives on migration. Media coverage of the migration crisis has brought to the light, and to the top of the political agenda, the international mass displacement of population and the humanitarian emergency lived by refugees and migrants. Although the focus of these reports often varied from a humanitarian perspective to a securitarian one. The way the media has portrayed the migration crisis increased public awareness, while political discourses contributed to growing feelings of racism and xenophobia among the European population. The migration crisis and the hate speeches of many political leaders translated into growing racist and xenophobic feelings among Europeans. This negative perception of migration and its constant connection with terrorism has led to a rise of the far-right in Europe and a mounting cleavage between migrants and host communities in some countries.