Images and Discourses of Migrations and Migrants In Cinema

As described by Castles, Haas, and Miller (1998), we live in the age of international migration since millions of people voluntarily or involuntarily cross national borders for various reasons, such as work, living, or finding a safe refuge. While both migrants and migrations contribute to economic, political, and social changes and transformations in both migrant-receiving and migrant-giving societies, the commonsense ideas and images about migration and migrants, such as why people migrate, who migrants are, or how they impact society/culture, are influenced by media images and discourses. Among the means of media, movies make up one of the most significant sources of persistent images and discourses on migration and migrants. This session treats movies as a sociological phenomenon and questions the ways in which movies and cinematic narratives reflect, form, and transform social structures, cultural norms, collective identities, and stereotyping in both migrant-sending and-receiving societies. The session also questions whether there are major differences between commercial and independent movies, between the migrant status or identity of the producers and directors, and welcomes discussions on the kind of political and social culture they produce and reproduce through persistent and shifting images and narratives.