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Between Security and Humanity: Elite and Media Discourse on Refugees and Migrants in Croatia

From September 2015 to March 2016 over 600 000 refugees crossed the Croatian border, on their way to safety along the Balkan route. It was the greatest humanitarian, social and security challenge since the war in Croatia in the 1990s. This initiated debates about consequences for the stability and the economic sustainability, but also about the impact on the Croatian national identity and values. This paper identifies discourse on refugees in Croatian society and its development over time. Specifically, it analyzes the discourse on refugees as a political, cultural and security threat. It also assesses the attitudes of political, civil society and religious actors on the public opinion. The paper uses content analysis of four daily newspapers and one (Catholic) weekly in the September 2015-September 2016 period and, as well as semi-structured interviews with representatives of secular and religious organizations/activists who were active in the field. We explored if there were differences between the secular and religious press reporting, but also whether the media delivered facts about the crisis. The paper will provide insight into the aspects and dynamics of shaping public opinion through the change of the discourse on refugees and contribute to the understanding of the social context of dealing with refugee and migrant processes.

refugees, migrant crisis, Balkan route, media discourse

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