Media and Social Representations of Otherness: Psycho-Social-Cultural Implications (Culture in Policy Making: The Symbolic Universes of Social Action)

"This book presents the main findings of an empirical exploration of media discourses on social representations of 'otherness' in seven European countries. It focuses on the analysis of press discourses produced over a fifteen-year period (2000-2015) on three contemporary figures of otherness that challenge the identity of European societies, question the attitudes towards diversity, and pose significant challenges for policy-makers: immigration, Islam, and LGBT. The book provides a comprehensive and articulate map of how national media addresses such themes from both synchronic and diachronic perspectives, revealing patterns of continuity and discontinuity across time and space. Lastly, it discusses these patterns in the light of their cultural meanings and their influence on social and political collective behaviours."-- Provided by publisher Preface......Page 6 References......Page 11 Contents......Page 12 Editors and Contributors......Page 13 1.1 The European Crises......Page 15 1.1.1 The Refugee Crisis and the EU Migration Policy......Page 16 1.1.2 Euroscepticism and the Brexit Referendum......Page 17 1.1.3 The Surge of Populism and the Politics of Intolerance......Page 18 1.2 The Identity-Otherness Dynamics......Page 20 1.3 Media Representations and the Fear of Otherness......Page 23 1.4 Conclusion......Page 25 References......Page 27 2.1 Introduction......Page 31 2.2 Social Knowledge and Social Representations......Page 32 2.2.1 Social Representations as Phenomena in Interaction......Page 33 2.2.2 Social Representations, Common Sense and Scientific Knowledge......Page 34 2.3 Social Representations and Communication. The Importance of the Media in the Genesis of Social Knowledge......Page 35 2.4 Culture, Social Representations, and Symbolic Universes......Page 37 2.5.1 Detecting the Semantic Structures of Social Representations......Page 39 2.5.2 Dataset......Page 40 2.5.3 Procedures and Operative Parameters......Page 42 2.5.4 Interpretation of the Semantic Structures......Page 46 2.6 Conclusion......Page 47 References......Page 48 3.1 Immigration Within and Towards Europe: A Long-Standing Variable Phenomenon......Page 53 3.2 Media Discourse on Immigration......Page 55 3.2.1 Variations in Narratives and Frames......Page 56 3.2.2 The Representations of Immigration and Immigrants in the European National Press......Page 57 3.3 The Present Study......Page 59 3.4.1 Sample, Keywords and Temporal Blocks......Page 60 3.4.2 Data Analysis......Page 61 3.5.1 Synchronic Analysis: The Semantic Structures Underlying the Social Representations of Immigration......Page 62 3.5.2 Diachronic Analysis: The Evolution of the Semantic Structures......Page 66 3.6 Discussion......Page 68 References......Page 70 4.1 Introduction......Page 74 4.2.1 Islamic Values and Culture......Page 75 4.2.2 Migration and Integration......Page 77 4.2.3 Terrorism and Crime......Page 78 4.2.4 The Present Study......Page 79 4.3.1 Sample and Temporal Blocks......Page 80 4.3.2 Automated Co-occurrence Analysis for Semantic Mapping......Page 81 4.4 Results......Page 82 4.4.1 Synchronic Analysis. Latent Semantic Structures Underlying the Press Representations of Islam......Page 83 4.4.3 Diachronic Analysis......Page 86 4.5 Discussion......Page 88 4.6 Conclusion......Page 90 References......Page 91 5.1 Introduction......Page 95 5.2 LGBT—Coming Out from Invisibility......Page 96 5.3 LGBT and the Sexualized Divide in Europe......Page 99 5.4 Method of the Present Study......Page 101 5.4.1 Analyses......Page 102 5.5.1 Synchronic Analysis. Latent Semantic Structures Underlying the Press Representations of LGBT Figures......Page 103 5.5.2 Cross-Countries Comparisons......Page 106 5.5.3 Diachronic Analysis......Page 107 5.6 Discussion......Page 108 5.7 Conclusion......Page 110 References......Page 111 6.1 Affective Sense-Making and Its Salience......Page 115 6.2.1 Method......Page 119 6.3 Results......Page 125 6.3.1 A Synoptic View of the Semantic Structures Underlying the Representations of Immigration, Islam, and LGBT People......Page 127 6.3.2 Relation Between the Semantic Structures and Affective Sense-Making (Lines of Semiotic Force)......Page 128 6.3.3 Interpretation of the Semantic Structures of Health, Participation, and Subjectivity......Page 130 6.3.4 Exposure to Otherness and Similarity of the Semantic Structures......Page 137 6.4 General Discussion......Page 138 References......Page 140 7.1 Introduction......Page 144 7.2 From Rational Choice to Bounded Rationality......Page 145 7.3 The Role of Culture: Homo Semioticus......Page 147 7.4 A Typology of the Roles of Culture for Policy Design......Page 148 7.5 Policy Through Culture Toolkit......Page 150 7.6 Functions and Contexts of Use of the Tools......Page 153 7.7 Final Remarks......Page 155 References......Page 156 Preface 6 References 11 Contents 12 Editors and Contributors 13 1 Identity, Otherness, and Psycho-Cultural Dynamics 15 1.1 The European Crises 15 1.1.1 The Refugee Crisis and the EU Migration Policy 16 1.1.2 Euroscepticism and the Brexit Referendum 17 1.1.3 The Surge of Populism and the Politics of Intolerance 18 1.2 The Identity-Otherness Dynamics 20 1.3 Media Representations and the Fear of Otherness 23 1.4 Conclusion 25 References 27 2 Theory and Method for the Analysis of Social Representations 31 2.1 Introduction 31 2.2 Social Knowledge and Social Representations 32 2.2.1 Social Representations as Phenomena in Interaction 33 2.2.2 Social Representations, Common Sense and Scientific Knowledge 34 2.3 Social Representations and Communication. The Importance of the Media in the Genesis of Social Knowledge 35 2.4 Culture, Social Representations, and Symbolic Universes 37 2.5 An Empirical Route for Investigating the Social Representations of Otherness 39 2.5.1 Detecting the Semantic Structures of Social Representations 39 2.5.2 Dataset 40 2.5.3 Procedures and Operative Parameters 42 2.5.4 Interpretation of the Semantic Structures 46 2.6 Conclusion 47 References 48 3 Immigration 53 3.1 Immigration Within and Towards Europe: A Long-Standing Variable Phenomenon 53 3.2 Media Discourse on Immigration 55 3.2.1 Variations in Narratives and Frames 56 3.2.2 The Representations of Immigration and Immigrants in the European National Press 57 3.3 The Present Study 59 3.4 Method 60 3.4.1 Sample, Keywords and Temporal Blocks 60 3.4.2 Data Analysis 61 3.5 Results 62 3.5.1 Synchronic Analysis: The Semantic Structures Underlying the Social Representations of Immigration 62 3.5.2 Diachronic Analysis: The Evolution of the Semantic Structures 66 3.6 Discussion 68 3.7 Conclusion 70 References 70 4 Islam 74 4.1 Introduction 74 4.2 Contemporary Representations of Islam in Europe 75 4.2.1 Islamic Values and Culture 75 4.2.2 Migration and Integration 77 4.2.3 Terrorism and Crime 78 4.2.4 The Present Study 79 4.3 Method 80 4.3.1 Sample and Temporal Blocks 80 4.3.2 Automated Co-occurrence Analysis for Semantic Mapping 81 4.4 Results 82 4.4.1 Synchronic Analysis. Latent Semantic Structures Underlying the Press Representations of Islam 83 4.4.2 Cross-Country Comparisons 86 4.4.3 Diachronic Analysis 86 4.5 Discussion 88 4.6 Conclusion 90 References 91 5 LGBT 95 5.1 Introduction 95 5.2 LGBT—Coming Out from Invisibility 96 5.3 LGBT and the Sexualized Divide in Europe 99 5.4 Method of the Present Study 101 5.4.1 Analyses 102 5.5 Results 103 5.5.1 Synchronic Analysis. Latent Semantic Structures Underlying the Press Representations of LGBT Figures 103 5.5.2 Cross-Countries Comparisons 106 5.5.3 Diachronic Analysis 107 5.6 Discussion 108 5.7 Conclusion 110 References 111 6 The Salience of Otherness 115 6.1 Affective Sense-Making and Its Salience 115 6.2 Affective Sense-Making and the Social Representations of Otherness: A Meta-Analysis 119 6.2.1 Method 119 6.3 Results 125 6.3.1 A Synoptic View of the Semantic Structures Underlying the Representations of Immigration, Islam, and LGBT People 127 6.3.2 Relation Between the Semantic Structures and Affective Sense-Making (Lines of Semiotic Force) 128 6.3.3 Interpretation of the Semantic Structures of Health, Participation, and Subjectivity 130 6.3.4 Exposure to Otherness and Similarity of the Semantic Structures 137 6.4 General Discussion 138 6.5 Conclusion 140 References 140 7 Implications for Policy-Making and Further Developments 144 7.1 Introduction 144 7.2 From Rational Choice to Bounded Rationality 145 7.3 The Role of Culture: Homo Semioticus 147 7.4 A Typology of the Roles of Culture for Policy Design 148 7.5 Policy Through Culture Toolkit 150 7.6 Functions and Contexts of Use of the Tools 153 7.7 Final Remarks 155 References 156