Almost a century after the outbreak of World War I, Middle East is once again facing war and turmoil. Political and social order is one more time being restructured by direct and proxy wars with the involvement of global and regional powers. Unfortunately, there is no one single year without war and conflict in the region since the beginning of the new world order discussions at the end of the Cold War. The most obvious consequences of these conflicts are displacement of millions of people from their homes, towns and countries, scattered all over the world.
Refugees escaping from the civil wars in Libya and Syria to find shelter and safe heavens are dominating not only the scenes of the international media but also the agenda of international community. Data released in 2014 shows that the current refugee crisis is worst the world is experiencing since the Second World War. This is also the largest wave of immigration for Turkey, too, when compared with the wave of migrations, known in the collective memory as “muhajir”, following the Balkan, the First World and the Independence Wars.
It is necessary; therefore, to take a multidimensional look at the refugee question especially in Turkey particularly in relation to displaced people from the civil war in Syria. Considering the novelty of experience after a long period of time for Turkey, it is imperative to first address the issue primarily in the context of Turkey, of course, without losing sight of its global implications. To this end, the theme of the *Marmara Journal of Communication*’s 24th issue is identified as the media and communication dimension of Turkey’s experience with the refugees in the last four years.
Although the concepts of migrant, asylum seeker, expatriate, guest, muhajir and refugee are occasionally used interchangeably in everyday language, media discourse and academic studies, it should be kept in mind that they are different concepts with different implications. Irrespective of currently denoting a legal status, the concept of refugees is preferred to denote people “displaced due to war.”
*Refugees and the Media* subject will be examined from two primary topics: (a) representation of refugees in the media and (b) communication of refugee question with its political, economic, social and cultural dimensions. We do not restrict the scope of the discussion to a type of media or any specific media content. All types of the media, media content, frameworks and dynamics associated with construction of refugee representations in Turkey are eligible for consideration. Communication of refugee question in the context of Turkey, on the other hand, encapsulates dimensions of the issue ranging from public relations, political communication, public diplomacy and strategic communication processes utilized in other domains with a particular emphasis on social and cultural interaction.
Addressing the refugee question from the media and communication perspective is an invitation to make a contribution to the search for solutions to not only one of the worst humanitarian crises with multiple causes at global, regional, social and individual levels but also the war carried out over the reconstruction of centennial old socio-political order in the Middle East.
In this context, the Marmara Journal of Communication’s 24th issue on
“Refugees and the Media” is seeking papers and review articles on the headings below:
* The media representations of refugees in Turkey
* Refugee media in Turkey (owned and operated by refugees)
* Refugee cinema and Turkey
* Refugees, foreign policy and public diplomacy
* Approaches to news production and refugees
* Political communication and refugees
* Refugees’ perception of Turkey /Turkey’s perception of refugees
* Production of knowledge by Academia, NGOs and the Media on refugees in Turkey:
* Turkey and refugees in global media
* Refugees and socio-cultural interaction
Please send your articles via submission system on our website
http://e-dergi.marmara.edu.tr/maruid.index
For questions and comments, contact us via email at
iletisimdergi@marmara.edu.tr.
Editor
Hediyetullah Aydeniz
Marmara University, Faculty of Communication
http://e-dergi.marmara.edu.tr/maruid
E-mail: iletisimdergi@marmara.edu.tr
Marmara University, Faculty of Communication
Marmara University, Niþantaþý Campus,
Büyükçiftlik Street, No:6 Niþantaþý 34365 Þiþli/ Istanbul
iletisim.marmara.edu.tr