The Social Self of Child Refugee through Cinema: A Sociological – Educational Approach

This paper is concerned with contemporary cinema films about refugees in an attempt to highlight their social self through redefined identities. The refugee issue is a crucial one to the global community. Political structures are tested by population mobility, while the democratic system is also challenged. The interpretation of discourse determinant to refugee social self is supported through studying cinema films. Focus is placed on screenplay, image and expression of feelings by the actors.

Five films portraying child refugees’ life trajectories are utilized to highlight the reconstruction of their social selves, while struggling for survival and violently being introduced to early adulthood. Cultural issues are correlated with social meanings and interpretative discourse patterns based on the way they are illustrated in the films. The film itself becomes discourse expressing the reality through correlating meanings constructed within the social, political and cultural setting. The unfolding of films, as interpretative patterns, includes knowledge that is the meanings of everyday life conducive to shaping emotions, attitudes and behaviours. The combination between the film narrative and social web forms the basis on which the political discourse pattern is approached, while the meaning emanates from the co-articulated domineering and conflicting discourses.

Following the massive population transfer to Europe, due to wars, domestic conflicts, political reversals and climate change, this time period forms the breeding ground to study refugee-related film theoretical discourse. This analysis will contribute to self-reflection through studying the hidden aspects of refugee life. Everyday refugee-related political discourses highlight the effects on the economic system and political structures, while the dimension of the citizen – refugee is concealed. Thus, the refugee, as individual and social subject, is invisible, excluded and marginalized. Films on refugees are conducive to increasing the different ways of viewing their lives in modern societies. At the same time, the education system is challenged to integrate child refugees through meaningful educational practices.