The ‘Traitorous’ Bulgarian Vs the ‘Good’ English Neighbour? an Exploration of Media Portrayals of Migration from and to Bulgaria and Migrants’ Counter-Narratives

While migration has always been a contentious issue in Bulgarian public discourse, the way it depicts those who leave the country and those who enter, particularly groups of ‘desirable’ migrants differ significantly. Drawing on research conducted with both Bulgarian migrants in the UK and British migrants in Bulgaria, this paper explores in a comparative manner persistent media portrayals of migration from and to the country in the context of wider socio-political restructuring and instability. Drawing on empirical data, the paper also considers migrants’ counternarratives.

Focusing specifically on the migratory flows between Bulgaria and the UK, the findings reveal a stark contrast between how the migratory choices of Bulgarian and British nationals are presented in the Bulgarian media discourse. While emigrating is portrayed as a form of escapism at best and treason at worst, the choice of a growing number of British nationals choosing to relocate to rural and often depopulated areas in Bulgaria is overtly positive. The latter is in contrast with popular depictions of ‘Brits abroad’ that dominate the British public discourse, which take on markedly negative connotations. Though in-depth qualitative data from two studies with Bulgarian migrants in the UK and with British nationals in Bulgaria, these media discourses are then juxtaposed against migrants’ own interpretations of their migratory choices. Ultimately, the paper reveals that migrants from and to Bulgaria employ a diverse range of strategies in order to justify their migration choices, often romanticising migration as a life choice to prove their worth.