Conflict and satire: Islam and immigration in the media

Professor Stig Hjarvard has published two new articles on the role of media dealing with controversies over Islam and immigration. 

Together with Scandinavian colleagues he documents how public opinion in the Scandinavian countries differs as regards attitudes towards Islam, acceptance of hostile attitudes towards foreigners, and the extent to which media should engage critically with religious issues. He furthermore demonstrates how the genre of satire may be used by public service media to engage audiences in dialogues over immigration and Islam in ways that may transcend the usual ‘us-them’ dichotomy as well as involve more voices from people with an immigrant background.

Read more about the studies here:

Hjarvard, S., & Rosenfeldt, M. P. (2017). Giving Satirical Voice to Religious Conflict. The Potentials of the Cultural Public Sphere. Nordic Journal of Religion and Society, 30(2), 136-152. 

Lundby, K, Hjarvard, S., Lövheim, M., & Jernsletten, H. H. (2017). Religion between Politics and Media: Conflicting Attitudes towards Islam in Scandinavia. Journal of Religion in Europe, 10(4), 437-456.