At the crossroads of migrant workers, class, and media: a case study of a migrant workers’ television project

Abstract

This article examines Migrant Workers’ Television (MWTV) in Korea, exploring relationships between migration, media, and class. Existing studies on migrants have mainly focused on the ethnic and media consumption sides of migration. However, MWTV provides a unique picture of migrants, who joined together across diverse ethnic backgrounds and started a media production NGO with shared class interests. MWTV has produced television shows, film festivals, and other cultural projects since 2006 to claim a place for migrant workers in Korean society. This article provides three critical findings. First, it finds that globalization and new transnational systems make class one of the most important elements in the process of migration. Second, this moment of class realization results in active involvement in media production among migrant workers, who work against negative portrayals of them by mainstream media. Third, this realization is not an isolated event in Korean society, and different national and global democratic alliances emerge to support MWTV. They help MWTV overcome its limitations as a migrant group, but allow it to maintain its independence. Finally, this article asks for more focused attention on class and production in the study of media and migration.

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