Transnational Media Flows: Globalization, Politics and Identity

Abstract

The global political rhetoric of “us” versus “them” in the aftermath of 9/11 had significant consequences (particularly for Muslim cornmunities), opening up new debates and discursive frames for renegotiating identity, belonging and multiculturalism — to which we return in the final chapter. The role of media and popular communication remains vital in the experiences of cosmopolitanization/inclusion and marginalization/closure in the cultural lifeworlds and everyday realities of migrants in Europe. The discussion in this chapter draws upon our work both on transnational media flows, in general, and cultural lifeworlds, social space and media use in migrant contexts, in particular. We argue that while an integrated understanding of social phenomena (e.g. the roles of globalization, the market and popular media in the current geopolitical context) in relation to institutional and macro dimensions remains vital, their everyday human forms (and accompanying complexities) cannot be fully grasped without accounting for the interpretive and situated dimensions of experience. In this chapter, we try to address both dimensions and reflect upon the surrounding context of racisms and the significance of racialization practices in Sweden.1