Chrysalis.
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Humanizing the Refugee Experience: How Experimental Ethnographic Films Challenge Mainstream Representations
The dehumanizing representation of refugees in mainstream media remains a problematic result of documenting the so-called “crises” of migration that drive anti-refugee rhetoric and policies. This paper contends that experimental ethnographic films offer a counter-narrative to humanize the imagination of refugees and foster empathy, challenging biases and harmful stereotypes. Using a comparative approach, this paper analyses two categories of films with corresponding case studies: autoethnography, represented by Purple Sea (2020), and animation, represented by Flee (2021). Through an analysis of film methodology, this paper will argue that these experimental ethnographic films achieve a level of intimacy between the storyteller and the viewer that is lost in other forms of ethnography and purposefully ignored by journalists. These findings also highlight the limitations of academic ethnographic practices in film; they reveal the institutional and physical barriers enacted by the nation-state system that manifests as a ‘refugee regime’ and create a status quo of political exclusion.
Mcgill international review.
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Justice in Syria: There Should Be Some.
Over a decade of war has left Syria in ruins. As the political elite perpetuates an exhaustive list of war crimes, justice for the victims seems to be just out of reach. Where transitional justice mechanisms have sought to enforce accountability and achieve justice for victims around the world, corruption within the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) prioritizes the geopolitical interests of powerful states at the expense of Syrian civilians.
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The Harmful Impacts of Mental Illness Representation in Television
By misrepresenting the experiences of individuals with mental disorders, beliefs about stereotypes may lead to a negative monolithic view of the community and subsequently perpetuate biases in public opinion.