News
Forthcoming Conference Participation
Migrant racialization on Twitter during a border and a pandemic crisis
The Second Helsinki Conference on Emotions, Populism, and Polarisation Tuesday, 4 May 2021 - Saturday, 8 May 2021
Abstract. This work examines how the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic re-shaped the migration debate on Twitter. Through co-hashtag network analysis, time-frequency and content analysis, it shows that the pandemic related with positive (humanitarian) and negative (threat) stances about migration in Twitter. The positive side focused on the need to protect refugees stranded at camps in Greece from COVID-19. The negative focused on the Greek-Turkish land-border crisis, using COVID-19 to reinforce migrants as racialized others. These findings, fit the problematization of positive and negative migrant representations in the Global North as Eurocentric. In the case of camps, refugees fit well within the victim/helpless frame which usually justifies humanitarianism, this time on health grounds. Regarding the border crisis, they fit the also Eurocentric frame of violent/male/inferior other who could spread a deadly virus. Overall, COVID-19 intertwined with migration in Twitter debates reinforcing the racialized, Eurocentric representational field on migrants from Global South.
Keywords: Migration, border crisis, Twitter, network analysis
Forthcoming Conference Participation: Networks of Intolerance on Twitter
Migrant Belongings: Digital Practices and the Everyday conference, Utrecht University, April 21- April, 22
Abstract. This work explores the hashtag #IStandWithGreece as part of meaning making processes on Twitter around a border crisis at the Greek-Turkish land-border between the end of February 2020 and throughout March 2020. The study exposes the strategic use of a seemingly innocent hashtag by certain influential actors to disseminate anti-migrant stances that cut across national contexts of the Global North.
Keywords: Migration, border crisis, Twitter, network analysis
Avraamidou_Lecture_18March2021.pdfGuest Lecture: Networks of Intolerance on Twitter
Dr Maria Avraamidou will be giving a lecture as an Invited Speaker at Lincoln University, 18 March 2021, on the topic "Networks of Intolerance on Twitter & Migrant racialization".
Abstract. This work in progress explores the hashtag #IStandWithGreece as part of meaning making processes on Twitter around a border crisis at the Greek-Turkish land-border (Evros area) between the end of February 2020 and throughout March 2020. The study exposes the strategic use of a seemingly innocent hashtag by certain influential actors to disseminate anti-migrant stances that cut across national contexts of the Global North. Additionaly, the study examines the ways the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic re/shaped the migration debate on Twitter during the Evros crisis. Through co-hashtag network analysis, time-frequency analysis and content analysis, it shows the co-existence of positive (humanitarian) and negative (threat) stances on Twitter relating COVID-19 and migration. These preliminary findings, fit the problematization of migrant representations in the Global North as Eurocentric. In the case of camps, refugees fit well within the victim/helpless frame which usually justifies humanitarianism, this time on health grounds. In the case of the border crisis, migrants fit the also Eurocentric frame of violent/male/inferior other who on top could spread a deadly virus.
Keywords: Migration, border crisis, Twitter, representations