Image of Immigrants in the Russian Periodical “Argumenty i Fakty”

Michał Kozdra

Institute of Russian Studies, University of Warsaw, Krakowskie Przedmieście 26/28, 00-927 Warsaw, Poland

Abstract: The aim of this text is to present an image of immigrants that emerges from an analysis of articles in the online edition of the Russian weekly “Argumenty i Fakty”. The results of research show that the image of immigrants (most of whom come from the Caucasus and from Central Asia) is created by juxtaposing two contrasting categories: US vs OTHERS. An analysis of materials demonstrates also that through “exclusive” processes, i.e. ones whereby immigrants are excluded from the local community, the identity of participants of the examined media discourse is built. To this end, strategies of constructing the image of immigrants as others are applied. This image is subject to processes of negative value attribution. Based on the analyzed materials, the author distinguishes seven dimensions that jointly create the image of immigrants in the examined weekly: legal, national, cultural, living-standard, physical, psychosocial and religious ones.

Keywords: immigrants, image, US-OTHERS, media, Russian press, negative value attribution, identity, Russia, discourse, exclusion.

Pages: 12 – 19 | Full PDF Paper