“No Human Being is Illegal”: Meaning—making in Online Social Movements
| Authors | |
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| Year of publication | 2013 |
| Type | Conference abstract |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Description | “No Human Being is Illegal” is a common refrain among immigrants’ rights activists. It works to counter the increasingly pervasive depiction of migrants, especially the unauthorized, as dangerous, unwelcome Others and communicates a message of equality, dignity and respect for all. And such concepts are often conveyed by portraying immigrants as simply part of the general categories of human beings: workers, family members, and contributors to their local communities. Increasingly, such portrayals are finding their way into the online mobilizations of those that advocate for immigrants’ rights. Yet we know little about the meaning-making process behind these symbols of inclusion. What are the ways in which cyberactivists call upon and deploy particular collective representations to symbolically incorporate immigrants into the social fabric and frame and construct claims for social and political acceptance? What are the discursive strategies they employ in response to the growing incidence of physical and symbolic violence against immigrants? Utilizing a cultural sociological perspective, I examine the ways in which immigrants’ rights activists mobilize over the Internet. I employ a dual methodology. First, I perform a hermeneutical analysis of website content, both textual and visual. I then interview activist webmasters to explore their motivations, goals and strategies. The ultimate goal is to contribute to building a cultural sociological understanding of meaning making in online social movements. |
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