Skip to main content

LUP Student Papers

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

The Securitization of Migrants - A critical discourse analysis of migration in EU policy

Matz Wennerhed, Felicia LU (2016) STVK02 20161
Department of Political Science
Abstract
This thesis studies the European Union’s policy Global Approach to Migration and Mobility (GAMM) and how migration is discursively described and securitized. GAMM is a foundational framework for EU migration and asylum policy, with a purpose to create dialogue and cooperation with non-EU countries. By analysing official EU policy documents, this thesis aims to map out how migration is discursively constructed and rhetorically described as an issue of security through a critical discourse analysis. The result shows several discourses together forming an overall rhetoric of migration as an issue of security. Firstly, there is a discursive construction of a European community with external borders, consisting of EU and the member states.... (More)
This thesis studies the European Union’s policy Global Approach to Migration and Mobility (GAMM) and how migration is discursively described and securitized. GAMM is a foundational framework for EU migration and asylum policy, with a purpose to create dialogue and cooperation with non-EU countries. By analysing official EU policy documents, this thesis aims to map out how migration is discursively constructed and rhetorically described as an issue of security through a critical discourse analysis. The result shows several discourses together forming an overall rhetoric of migration as an issue of security. Firstly, there is a discursive construction of a European community with external borders, consisting of EU and the member states. Furthermore, the study shows a discursive securitization of irregular migration. Irregular migration is posed as an external threat to the EU community, with the potential to cause a future crisis for the European member states. It is also connected to cross-border criminal activity. The ideas of migration motivates political and institutional measures, such as increased border control and surveillance. This is discussed as an exercise of power, showing societal power relations of inequality. The ultimate aim of making these relations of power visible is contributing to societal change. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Matz Wennerhed, Felicia LU
supervisor
organization
course
STVK02 20161
year
type
M2 - Bachelor Degree
subject
keywords
EU, GAMM, discourse, discursive power, migration, irregular migration, security, securitization, external threat
language
English
id
8873376
date added to LUP
2016-06-17 11:52:37
date last changed
2016-06-17 11:52:37
@misc{8873376,
  abstract     = {{This thesis studies the European Union’s policy Global Approach to Migration and Mobility (GAMM) and how migration is discursively described and securitized. GAMM is a foundational framework for EU migration and asylum policy, with a purpose to create dialogue and cooperation with non-EU countries. By analysing official EU policy documents, this thesis aims to map out how migration is discursively constructed and rhetorically described as an issue of security through a critical discourse analysis. The result shows several discourses together forming an overall rhetoric of migration as an issue of security. Firstly, there is a discursive construction of a European community with external borders, consisting of EU and the member states. Furthermore, the study shows a discursive securitization of irregular migration. Irregular migration is posed as an external threat to the EU community, with the potential to cause a future crisis for the European member states. It is also connected to cross-border criminal activity. The ideas of migration motivates political and institutional measures, such as increased border control and surveillance. This is discussed as an exercise of power, showing societal power relations of inequality. The ultimate aim of making these relations of power visible is contributing to societal change.}},
  author       = {{Matz Wennerhed, Felicia}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{The Securitization of Migrants - A critical discourse analysis of migration in EU policy}},
  year         = {{2016}},
}