Mediating Syria’s Strangers Through Levinas: Communication Ethics and the Visuals of Children

Abstract

Abstract This paper investigates how the visuals of two children affected by the Syrian conflict, Alan Kurdi and Omran Daqneesh, circulate within the humanitarian imaginary. I argue that these communication artifacts offer us an opportunity to explore the links between two areas not often thought of in conjunction: ethical theory and mediation. The goal is to contribute to our understanding of the relationships between communication ethics and the mediated representations of subjects who are perceived as “Others.” The visuals of Alan and Omran are appropriate for this investigation, given their evident Otherness as Syrians to a predominantly Western audience. Exploring these visuals in the light of Emmanuel Levinas’ ethical call of the Other and the mediated visibility of sufferers will further our understanding of the connections between communication ethics and mediation as textual and social/ethical practice.