Heroes and Villains in a Transnational Context: The Case of Solidarity with Journalists in Exile

This article explores the mythic narratives surrounding exiled journalists, focusing on Turkish journalists who found refuge in Germany after events such as the Gezi Uprising in 2013 and the coup attempt in 2016. It investigates the experiences of these exiled journalists and highlights the dual nature of humanitarian solidarity, which aims to alleviate suffering and objectifies individuals into the role of sufferers, potentially sidelining their political and economic precarity. The research is based on ethnographic data collected in Berlin between 2018 and 2020, including participant observation, semi-structured interviews with journalists and NGO representatives, and ongoing online interactions. It reveals how myth-making processes surrounding exiled journalists contribute to public mobilization and sheds light on how simplified representations based on binary oppositions can serve racist politics.