Exploring the Evolution of Media Representations - An Analysis of Russia-German Aussiedler in the German Print Media Surrounding the Ukraine war of 2022

Abstract

This thesis explores the qualitative shifts in German media discourse following the outbreak of the Ukraine war in February 2022, with a specific focus on the Russian-German Aussiedler, a Russianspeaking minority residing in Germany. The study aims to investigate whether these changes in media discourse have influenced public perceptions of this minority group in Germany. Despite the centrality of minority integration in German political discussions, the influential role of media in shaping public perception is often overlooked. Using discourse analysis, a total of 104 articles were examined, with 34 articles covering the period of the Crimean invasion and 70 articles covering the period of the Ukraine invasion, spanning over 15 months. The findings suggest that since the onset of the war, German media discourse has increasingly and critically scrutinized the political attitudes of the Russian-German Aussiedler, leading to the emergence of a negative narrative surrounding this group. Notably, there has been a greater and more intense overall reporting during the Ukraine war, with political discourse occupying a prominent position. In general, Russia-German ethnic immigrants have faced political pressure to justify and position themselves, which hampers their integration process in Germany. The analysis also...