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The evolving (re)categorisations of refugees throughout the ‘Refugee/Migrant crisis’

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Abstract

The UK media’s reporting of events in 2015 contained constantly evolving categorisations of people attempting to reach Europe and the UK, each with different implications for their treatment. A discursive analysis of UK media outputs charts the development of the terminology used to present the ‘crisis’ and those people involved. First ‘Mediterranean migrant crisis’ was used to present those involved as ‘migrants’ to be prevented from reaching Europe. Next it became a ‘Calais Migrant crisis’ in which ‘migrants’ were constructed as a threat to UK security, and then the ‘European Migrant crisis’ an ongoing threat to Europe. Photographs of a drowned child led to a shift to a ‘refugee crisis’ in which ‘refugees’ were presented in a humane and
sympathetic way. When terrorist attacks were linked with the ‘crisis’ ‘refugees’ reverted to ‘migrants’. Findings are discussed regarding the impact of categorisation on debates about the inclusion and exclusion of refugees.

Citation

(2017). The evolving (re)categorisations of refugees throughout the ‘Refugee/Migrant crisis’. Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology, 105-114. https://doi.org/10.1002/casp.2302

Acceptance Date Jan 20, 2017
Publication Date Feb 24, 2017
Journal Journal of Community and Applied Social Psychology
Print ISSN 1052-9284
Publisher Wiley
Pages 105-114
DOI https://doi.org/10.1002/casp.2302
Keywords refugee crisis, migrant crisis, mediterranean crisis, refugees, migrants, discursive psychology, discourse analysis
Publisher URL https://doi.org/10.1002/casp.2302

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