Introduction

This introductory chapter sets the wider scene for the remainder of the book. It begins by providing accounts of how immigrants are represented in mediated and political debates with a focus on Western Europe as well as Central and Eastern Europe. It also highlights some omissions in the existing literature on the representation of immigrants and argues that there is more space for research on the debates surrounding immigrants, particularly in Central and Eastern Europe. The chapter thus positions the book in the scholarly conversations – and the gaps in them – regarding the representation of immigrants. The chapter also provides arguments that substantiate the selection of media and political arenas as fruitful venues for investigating the representation – namely the politicisation and framing – of immigrants. It also posits the 2015–2016 refugee crisis in Europe as an ideal laboratory for investigating the debates about immigrants in the Central and Eastern European region. The introductory chapter also makes explicit and details the case selection strategies underlying the selection of Czechia and Slovakia as the two cases for the analysis of the debates regarding immigrants. Finally, the chapter offers the reader a concise preview of the book’s structure, its main arguments and the conclusions reached in the subsequent empirical chapters.