Through oral history and ethnography, the book examines how refugees from Bhutan, Burma, Iraq, and Somalia interpret US media representations. It explores their learning about America, the impact of media on their sense of belonging, and how the government shapes their understanding of American culture. By interviewing refugees and resettlement administrators, the author offers a nuanced analysis of the complex relationship between media and the refugee experience before, during, and after resettlement.
Through powerful firsthand accounts, A Story to Save Your Life offers new
insight into the harrowing realities of seeking protection in the United
States. Sarah C. Bishop argues that cultural differences in communication
shape every stage of the asylum process, playing a major but unexamined role.
Undocumented Storytellers offers a critical exploration of the ways
undocumented immigrants harness the power of storytelling as a means of self-
actualization, to mitigate the fear and uncertainty of life without legal
status, and to advocate for immigration reform.
Winner of the 2017 Outstanding Book Award from the National Communication Association's International and Intercultural Communication Division and the 2017 Sue DeWine Book Award from the NCA Applied Communication Division Using oral history, ethnography, and close readings of media, Sarah C. Bishop probes the myriad and sometimes conflicting ways refugees interpret and use mediated representations of life in the United States. Guided by 74 refugee narrators from Bhutan, Burma, Iraq, and Somalia, U.S. Media and Migration explores answers to questions such as: What does one learn from media about an unfamiliar place? How does media help or hinder refugees' sense of belonging after relocation? And how does the U.S. government use media to shape refugees' understanding of American norms, standards, and ideals? With insights from refugees and resettlement administrators throughout, Bishop provides a compelling and layered analysis of the interaction between refugees and U.S. media before, during, and long after resettlement.
