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Special issue of "Global Media and Communication", December 2014

Policies of cultural diversity in Europe: Manoeuvring between integration and security?

Edited by Leen d’Haenens (KU Leuven) and Tristan Mattelart (Paris 8)

National governments in Europe have, from an early stage, mobilized audiovisual media in an effort to deal with growing cultural pluralization resulting from increasing immigration flows. Within this framework, European public broadcasters implemented, as early as the 1960s and 1970s, a policy of special programs aimed at ‘immigrants’, pursuing the objectives of both promoting their insertion into host societies and establishing a link to their cultures of origin. Later on, taking into account the necessity of addressing not only the media needs of the first generation immigrants, but also those of their children born in the host countries, public — and some private — broadcasters have sought to improve the representation of ethnic minorities in their generalist programs.

Similarly, from the end of the 1970s on, some European institutions — for example, the Council of Europe — began to promote the need to improve the media representations of the ‘migrant worker’ or, more generally, ethnic minorities in the different countries of the continent.

Present policies of ‘cultural diversity’ in Europe should be seen in this continuity. The latter appear to grapple with a paradox: they aim at enhancing ethnic minorities’ representations either on or behind the screens, in newsrooms or management positions, but they are implemented in an era — that of post 9/11 — when these minorities, and more particularly those of Muslim faith, are viewed as representing a growing danger for national social cohesion.

This paradox may be only apparent, however. Indeed, in many ways, policies of cultural diversity may be considered as being invested with political as well as security objectives. They can be viewed as part of an overall strategy that seeks both at improving ethnic minorities’ ‘integration’, and through this, at increasing Europe’s security by decreasing the importance of perceived threats.

The purpose of this special issue of "Global Media and Communication" is to offer a critical perspective on these policies of cultural diversity in Europe. Indeed, these are often praised, or taken as given, but rarely questioned. Yet, beyond the rhetoric of diversity, the objectives of these policies need to be scrutinized.

First, these policies have to be put into historical perspective. Our goal is to understand how public agencies in Europe — be they international or national — have historically taken into account the media needs of ethnic minorities, from the 1960s onwards. How these policies of media representation have been put into action, how they may have shifted over time? To what extent, the policies of ‘cultural diversity’ represent a rupture in these policies of media representation?

The nature of these policies needs also to be addressed. Do they aim — as the notion of ‘diversity’ seems to imply — at enhancing the right to cultural difference? Or do they strive, on the contrary, for further ‘integration’ of ethnic minorities? And, if so, what kind of integration is expected?

Analyzing the aims and the scope of these policies requires, in addition, to map the different institutions involved — at a national or continental scale — in their production, and to map the possible contradictions existing between their agendas.

At last, these policies need to be placed in the overall context of European policies aiming at regulating immigration. To what extent are these policies of media inclusion components of a general policy that aims both at integrating (including through mainstream media) ‘legal’ immigrants and at a better control of the borders (including through ICTs) against ‘illegal’ migrants? In other words, to what extent are these diversity policies related to the management of border control operated by European Union Agency Frontex?

Expressions of interest should be submitted to both guest editors, Leen d’Haenens (leen.dhaenens@soc.kuleuven.be) and Tristan Mattelart (tristan.mattelart@univ-paris8.fr), as an e-mail attachment by no later than April 30, 2013. Please include a 500-word abstract, full contact information, and a biographical note (up to 75 words) on the author(s). Authors of accepted abstracts will be notified by May 31, 2013 and will then be invited to submit a full paper to the guest editors. Manuscripts should be between 6,000 to 7,000 words, including notes and references, follow "Global Media and Communication" style guidelines, and be submitted by November 15, 2013. All papers will be subject to anonymous peer review following submission.