This presentation will analyze the case of the Barcelona Anti-Rumour Network, an initiative promoted by the City Council and social organizations, in order to deal with the uncontrolled proliferation of rumours, prejudices and stereotypes about immigration. Rumours convey false information with the aim of exploiting the fears of citizens often disconcerted in the face of the changes brought about the arrival of a considerable number of foreign immigrants. Drawing on policy analysis and in-depth interviews, the role of communication in immigration policies and the concept of citizenship that exists behind this strategy will be analyzed. Such policies can run the risk of focusing too much on the denial of rumours rather than on the affirmation of rights, as this may question the eligibility of the immigrant population to obtain the status of citizenship.
Òscar Prieto-Flores is an Associate Professor of Sociology of Education at the University of Girona. His areas of research are immigrant and refugee incorporation to the new contexts of reception. His works have appeared in journals such as Ethnic and Racial Studies, the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, Ethnicities, the Cambridge Journal of Education or Citizenship studies among others. He is now working together with Professor Jean E. Rhodes (UMASS Boston) on a comparative study of mentoring programs between US and Europe and leading a research grant on the effectiveness of mentoring programs for the social inclusion immigrants and refugees (Applying). He is doing a short research visit to the Life Course Centre due to his interest in Life Course studies, especially on the role that informal relationships and social capital can play in breaking the cycle of disadvantage, which will be the topic of the book he is editing “Mentoring Child and Youth at-risk: Global Approaches to Empowerment”.