IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/pal/palcom/v11y2024i1d10.1057_s41599-024-03390-x.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Differentiated secularism: discourse shaping of immigrants from different religious backgrounds in the French media

Author

Listed:
  • Wenlong Song

    (Beijing International Studies University)

  • Bo Pang

    (Beijing International Studies University)

  • Zihan Wang

    (Henan University)

  • Yilang Xu

    (Beijing International Studies University)

  • Zetong Liu

    (Beijing International Studies University)

  • Murong Tan

    (Beijing International Studies University)

Abstract

This paper examines the mechanisms of differentiated discursive disciplining for immigrants of different religious backgrounds in the French media. Based on a sample of 120 articles on immigration in the French mainstream media, textual analyses and comparisons were conducted. Results show that influenced by religious factors, the French media use secularism as a tool to portray completely different images of immigrants through different discursive logics. Muslim immigrants present a paradoxically biased negative image in the French media discourse as a collection of invaders and the disciplined. In contrast, the media image of Ukrainian immigrants of Orthodox Christian background is positive on the whole, with a certain degree of deliberateness in the details of its construction. The difference in the symbolic characterization between Catholicism and Islam enables the exclusionary media discourse against Muslim immigrants. The paper also discusses French media discourse flaws and policy dilemmas. The logic of French media discourse is paradoxical in its inability to maintain an intact secularist identification and to effectively influence political issues to the detriment of promoting immigrant integration.

Suggested Citation

  • Wenlong Song & Bo Pang & Zihan Wang & Yilang Xu & Zetong Liu & Murong Tan, 2024. "Differentiated secularism: discourse shaping of immigrants from different religious backgrounds in the French media," Palgrave Communications, Palgrave Macmillan, vol. 11(1), pages 1-13, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:pal:palcom:v:11:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-024-03390-x
    DOI: 10.1057/s41599-024-03390-x
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1057/s41599-024-03390-x
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to full text is restricted to subscribers.
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1057/s41599-024-03390-x?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Scott Feinstein & Cristina Poleacovschi & Riley Drake & Leslie Ann Winters, 2022. "States and Refugee Integration: a Comparative Analysis of France, Germany, and Switzerland," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 23(4), pages 2167-2194, December.
    2. Luca Ozzano & Fabio Bolzonar, 2020. "Is Right-wing Populism a Phenomenon of Religious Dissent? The Cases of the Lega and the Rassemblement National," International Journal of Religion, Wise Press, UK, vol. 1(1), pages 45-59, November.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Julien Puech & François Yondre & Jane Freedman, 2023. "Typology of European Sports Programmes for Welcoming Migrants: Contrasting Political Philosophies," Journal of International Migration and Integration, Springer, vol. 24(3), pages 1381-1411, September.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:pal:palcom:v:11:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1057_s41599-024-03390-x. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.nature.com/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.