This article explores how migrants were visually presented during the so-called migration crisis in southeast Europe in the fall of 2015. It considers photographs from two public broadcasters’ news portals: Slovenia's rtvslo.si and Croatia's hrt.hr. The focus is on a specific category of images we label subjectless images; that is, images visually representing migrants and migration that avoid showing migrants as subjects. In these images, subjects are substituted by objects that metaphorically, metonymically, or symbolically stand for migrants and migration. The article explores the ideological operation of subjectless images, which operates through the logic of substituting human subjects with metaphorical, metonymic, and symbolic objects. What is presented to viewers as a certain object's mimetic image is explored within the production of a specific narrative and signification. © 2018, © 2018 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Slovenia Migration visual metaphor Visual symbol visual metonymy online news Croatia

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