Bridges between cultures - Can foreign language radio programmes enhance integration? (PDF)

Master's Thesis from the year 2004 in the subject Cultural Studies - Miscellaneous, grade: B, University of Bath (European studies and Modern Languages), course: MA in European Studies, language: English, abstract: [...] This essay will discuss whether foreign language broadcasts are enhancing
integration or slowing it down. While the guest workers' programmes were
necessary to help foreigners who did not speak any German, foreign media
today might create ghettos and decrease the need to learn German - a basic
asset for integration. Part A of the essay will closely analyse the theoretical research that has been
done on society as a whole. Systems theory will give an explanation for the
way societies work (chapter 1). As a next step, the building and existence of
identity will be looked at. After the difference between personal and collective
identities has been pointed out in chapter 2.1, national identity as a certain
form of collective identity and especially its creation will be analysed further
(2.2). The last section of the theoretical part will explain the process of
integration (3.1), take a closer look at two main models of integration (3.2)
and then deal with the role the media can play in integration processes (3.3).
In part B, the essay will conduct a case study on the integration of former
guest workers in Germany and the impact foreign language radio broadcasting
had on it. After giving a short history of labour immigration in the Federal
Republic of Germany (4.1), the changing policy of the German governments
towards foreigners in the country will be adumbrated(4.2). The current
situation of foreigners in Germany will give a hint to the answer of the
question whether integration has been completed or not (chapter 5). Chapter 6
of the essay deals with the function foreign language radio programmes had in
the past and have nowadays (6.1) and gives examples for two different kinds
of immigrant radio in Berlin (6.2). The conclusion at the end of the essay will answer the question whether a
media market with a choice of broadcasts in immigrant mother tongues can
enhance their integration or whether it is obstructing it.