Zygmunt Bauman: Strangers at Our Door

Refugees from the violence of wars and the brutality of famished lives have knocked on other people's doors since the beginning of time. For the people behind the doors, these uninvited guests were always strangers, and strangers tend to generate fear and anxiety precisely because they are unk...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Nikola Medová
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Institute of International Relations Prague 2018-12-01
Series:Czech Journal of International Relations
Online Access:https://cjir.iir.cz/index.php/cjir/article/view/161
Description
Summary:Refugees from the violence of wars and the brutality of famished lives have knocked on other people's doors since the beginning of time. For the people behind the doors, these uninvited guests were always strangers, and strangers tend to generate fear and anxiety precisely because they are unknown. Today we find ourselves confronted with an extreme form of this historical dynamic, as our TV screens and newspapers are filled with accounts of a 'migration crisis', ostensibly overwhelming Europe and portending the collapse of our way of life. This anxious debate has given rise to a veritable 'moral panic' - a feeling of fear spreading among a large number of people that some evil threatens the well-being of society.
ISSN:0323-1844
2570-9429