Whiteness and the ‘not-so-other’: Ukrainian refugees’ media self-representation in the UK

Abstract

This study examines the role of ‘whiteness’ in shaping the experiences of Ukrainian refugees in the UK, focusing on their self-representation on social media. The Ukrainian refugee crisis is portrayed in the media in ways that position Ukrainians as ‘like’ Europeans and as deserving of better treatment from host societies. Cultural proximity influences perceptions of refugees, who are often represented as the Other to Western modernity. Drawing on 50 Facebook posts and images, as well as interviews with 25 refugees living in temporary accommodation in the UK, the study finds that their online self-portrayals and reflections avoid the refugee label and show that they do not perceive themselves as refugees. The research demonstrates how Ukrainian refugees negotiate identity online in ways shaped by the media's power to frame whiteness and cultural proximity, rather than by conventional constructions of refugeehood, while still often aligning with distinctions and hierarchies evident in media portrayals of refugees.