Proč je křesťanský uprchlík lepší uprchlík
Why a Christian Refugee is a Better Refugee

Refugees and Christianity in Czech Media

Summary/Abstract: Media in the Czech Republic covers the issue of refugees and migrationfrom various approaches. Emphasizing religion is one of these. Duringthe period of 2015 and at the beginning of the year 2016, the concept ofChristianity often appeared in connection with the acceptance of refugeesin the Czech Republic. This text aims to analyze the role that the religiousdetermination of refugees plays in Czech media. For this purpose, articlesfound by the Anopress media database were analyzed. Findings show thatwhen speaking about refugees in the Czech Republic, borders between “us”and “them” are, in general, quite obvious. However, Christianity is used asa tool to, if we apply Richard Alba’s concept, blur these boundaries. In thisparticular situation, Czech society, which is usually not in favor of institutionalizedreligions, understands Christianity as a significant factor. Thepicture which the media provides us about this issue also indicates how Czechpeople define the so-called integration process. We can see that the fears thatare associated with refugees are handled by the objective to assimilate them,instead of integrating such incomers into society.

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