The Kosovar Diaspora in Switzerland: Construction of Identities between Media Use and Diasporic Traits

Abstract

This paper, drawing on experience collected from a research project, describes the Kosovar diaspora in Switzerland, and it presents a research model which can be applied when studying processes of social and cultural construction of identities, in particular with a focus on media consumption. The paper discusses the role of media in the processes of construction of social and cultural identities and how migrants’ media use influences on the one side identification processes and multiple senses of belonging, and on the other side how the exposure to different cultural media products affects the cultural identities of individuals. After a definition of the theoretical framework, the paper presents the Kosovar diaspora in Switzerland and the central issues its members must face. It then presents some practical examples of the modalities of operationalization of the central concepts in our empirical research. Finally, it discusses the research model adopted.