Discourse Analysis of Refugee and Migrant Identities

Discourse analysis of refugee and migrant identities investigates the ways in which language, texts and communicative practices produce, reproduce and challenge categories of belonging, exclusion and citizenship. This research emphasises how political speeches, policy documents, media coverage and everyday conversations inscribe power relations and shape public perceptions of mobility, integration and social rights. By employing critical and historical methods, scholars reveal the colonial and racial underpinnings of welfare and immigration regimes, unmasking taken-for-granted assumptions about deservingness. Intersectional approaches further highlight how gender, ethnicity, class and legal status intersect in narratives of marginalisation and resilience. Attention to participatory spaces—from neighbourhood projects to online networks—demonstrates migrants’ agency in contesting dominant frames and forging new forms of identification. The field thus offers both theoretical insights into the construction of social reality and practical guidance for more inclusive policies and civic practices that respect the complexity of transnational experiences.

Research from Nature Portfolio

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Discourse Analysis of Refugee and Migrant Identities publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in discourse analysis of refugee and migrant identities across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Discourse analysis: The systematic study of language and communication practices to uncover how meanings, power relations and social identities are constructed and maintained.

Framing: The strategic selection and presentation of particular aspects of reality in discourse to influence interpretation and response.

Intersectionality: An analytical framework for examining how overlapping social categories—such as race, gender and class—shape individual experiences of power and marginalisation.

Identity narrative: The self-constructed story through which individuals articulate and negotiate their sense of belonging across social and cultural contexts.

References

1. Social rights in a post-colonial welfare state: Revisiting ‘universality’ and ‘inclusivity’. Journal of European Social Policy (2024).
2. Why do states discriminate between refugee groups? Understanding how Syrian and Ukrainian refugees were framed in Germany and Poland. American Journal of Cultural Sociology (2024).
3. Conflicting Experiences With Welcoming Encounters: Narratives of Newly Arrived Refugees in the Netherlands. Social Inclusion (2021).