U.S. Media and Migration Refugee Oral Histories [Paperback]

Winner of the 2017 Outstanding Book Award from the National Communication Association's International and Intercultural Communication Divisionand the 2017 Sue DeWine Book Award from the NCA Applied Communication Division

Using oral history, ethnography, and close readings of media, Sarah C. Bishop probes the myriad and sometimes conflicting ways refugees interpret and use mediated representations of life in the United States. Guided by 74 refugee narrators from Bhutan, Burma, Iraq, and Somalia, U.S. Media and Migrationexplores answers to questions such as: What does one learn from media about an unfamiliar place? How does media help or hinder refugees' sense of belonging after relocation? And how does the U.S. government use media to shape refugees' understanding of American norms, standards, and ideals? With insights from refugees and resettlement administrators throughout, Bishop provides a compelling and layered analysis of the interaction between refugees and U.S. media before, during, and long after resettlement.

Introduction  1. Refugees as Audiences of US Media in Pre-Arrival Contexts  2. Refugees' Use of Media in Pre-Departure Preparation and Orientations  3. Voluntary and Mandated Media Encounters During Refugees' First Days in the US  4. Media and Refugees' Ongoing Resettlement  5. Conclusion

As the world watches with incredulity and shame the harrowing experiences of the latest wave of refugees and national governments do little to respond humanely, US Media and Migrationis a timely work. It provides an original and insightful analysis of refugee media use/influence and does so before, during and after their arrival in the U.S. Importantly, it also forefronts the voices of the refugees themselves. Highly recommended. -Simon Cottle, Cardiff University, author of Global Crisis Reporting