Mediale Integration von Migranten: Ein Problemaufriss / Media Integration of Migrants: An Outline of Problems

Abstract

The article gives an overview of the state of research, the key concepts and the main research questions in the field of media integration of migrants. State of research: Although media play an important role in the process of migrant integration in Germany, only few of the problems connected with this role have been studied by social scientists. A systematic and concise analysis is still missing. The field where most of the research has been done is the coverage of migrants in the German mainstream media, especially in the print media. The main result is an unbalanced, negatively distorted presentation of ethnic minorities: negative coverage (“problem people”) prevails clearly over positive coverage. The causes as well as the social impacts of this imbalance have been analysed very insufficiently. Key concepts: The key concepts combine descriptive with prescriptive research. In contrast to the assimilationist version of integration which is widely spread in German migration research (Esser 1980, 2001), our concept of “intercultural integration” is orientated to the main principles of Canadian multiculturalism. It means neither assimilation nor segregation of ethnic minorities, but it is based on the fundamental principle of “unity-withindiversity” (Fleras 2002) – the right of minorities to be different, limited by the right of the majority to get respect for its laws and core values. Media integration means integration of ethnic minorities into the media system and into the public. Intercultural media integration is a middle course between media assimilation (minorities are an assimilated part of the German public) and media segregation (minorities are excluded from the German public and use their own ethnic media). It is based on the principle of mutual communication between and mutual knowledge of mainstream und minority cultures.