Media practices, displacement and transnationalism: media of and by Karen refugees from Burma

Submission note: A thesis submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the School of Humanities and Social Sciences, College of Arts, Social Sciences and Commerce, La Trobe University, Bundoora.

This thesis is about the media of and by Karen refugees fleeing Burma over the past three decades, exploring how the refugee media are developed and sustained, particularly when their producers and potential audiences are constrained by subordinate status both in their home and host countries. I argue for the need to take account of the realm of media production and the relation between media producers and their creative work in order to understand more closely media practices that take place outside of mainstream media systems and also float above nation-state borders. This study shines new light on the intersecting fields of media and migration studies in that the existing literature has not been attentive to the complex and multifaceted nature of media practices and especially, media production processes in the context of forced displacement. This study finds that the displaced Karen use mediated communication as a tool to cope with the challenges of migration and displacement. Media engagement enables the Karen to maintain and consolidate ties with their homeland cultures and politics and with other Karen communities dispersed across the globe. Accordingly, they can resist being assimilated passively into dominant societies and cultures and also can promote the interests of Karen communities in the diaspora. This study further suggests that the commitment, enthusiasm and skills of a number of Karen refugees involved in the production of diverse forms of media play a significant part in the emergence and persistence of the media practices of displaced Karen, which thereby enhance the capability of the Karen to deal with obstacles and constraints incurred by migration and displacement.