The Depiction of Migration and Integration in a Polarised Society – Where Are We Now?

Since 2015, when the so-called refugee crisis reached a climax, migration has become a key focus of societal interest and political debate. It has become a subject that deeply divides society, sparking fear in many and influencing politics and electoral campaigns and results, as well as greatly undermining the unity of the European Union. Nevertheless, in the last two years the number of asylum seekers in the EU has fallen to virtually the same level as before the crisis and the subject is slowly receding. That said, a labour shortage and low unemployment in the Czech Republic is leading to a sharp rise in the number of foreign workers and their integration will prove a fresh challenge to society.

How are those changes making themselves felt in the current discussion around migration? How is it being portrayed in the media now, what does it mean for Czech society and how will it influence the country’s migration and integration policy? What role did the subject play in campaigning for European Parliament elections at the end of May?

These questions and more will be considered by Radha Sarma Hegde, an academic in the field of media, culture and communication at New York University; Grigorij Mesežnikov, director of Slovakia’s Institute for Public Affairs and editor of Phantom Menace: The Politics and Policies of Migration in Central Europe, which will be presented within the framework of the debate; Eva Valentová of the Association for Integration and Migration, who wrote one of its chapters; and Adéla Jurečková of People in Need, who will introduce the NGO’s current research into the media depiction of migration in the CR.

The discussion will be chaired by Daniela Vrbová of Czech Radio’s Plus station, who was an editor on the show Zaostřeno na cizince for some years.