Crimmigration: The british press and the stigmatisation of islamic refugees and immigrants

Abstract

This article analyses how the British media stigmatises and criminalises refugees, asylum seekers and Muslim immigrants. Drawing on Goffman’s concept of stigma (1963) and rereadings by Imogen Tyler (2018a, 2020) and Arun Kundnani (2001, 2014), it is argued that stigma operates as a tool of governance, reproducing structures of exclusion and racialisation. Since the 2015 migration crisis, UK coverage has consolidated framings associating immigrants with criminality, terrorism and health threats. Adapted from a master’s dissertation that observed this discourse between 2016 and 2020 in British newspapers and tabloids, the article shows how it took shape and consolidated throughout this period. The study adopts a theoretical-analytical approach, with a critical literature review and qualitative analysis of British journalistic materials. It is concluded that the media acts as a central agent in producing contemporary stigmas.