Studying Ethnic Minorities’ Media Uses: Comparative Conceptual and Methodological Reflections

Dhoest, A., Marta Cola, Manuel Mauri Brusa & Dafna Lemish (2012). Studying Ethnic Minorities’ Media Uses: Comparative Conceptual and Methodological Reflections. International Communication Association conference 2012 Phoenix.

Abstract: This paper discusses recurring conceptual and methodological issues in the study of ethnic minorities’ media uses. It does so by drawing on research experiences in different national contexts (Israel, Switzerland and Belgium), looking for similarities but also differences related to the specific national contexts as well as the research designs and the ethnic groups involved. Starting from a broad reflection on the very issue of ethnicity, the paper subsequently tackles issues such as the operational definition of ethnicity in ethnic labels, qualitative sampling procedures, language use and problems of translation. We also reflect on personal research experiences, including problems of intercultural communication and emotional involvement in the research matter. By comparing national contexts and research experiences, we find recurring issues with specific national inflections, making us more aware of the specificity of ethnic matters in different contexts. While self-reflection and methodological critique are important, we also plead for pragmatism in research on ethnic minorities’ media use, which we think greatly matters.