CONSTRUCTING THE REFUGEE AS VILLAIN: An Analysis of Syrian Refugee Policy Narratives Used to Justify a State of Exception

Abstract

Drawing on the conceptual lens of othering, this article links public policy narratives regarding the relocation of Syrian refugees inside the United States to the establishment of a "state of exception." Using narrative policy analysis, 36 governor statements issued in response to the 2015 terror attacks in Paris, France are catalogued as either "accepting" or "rejecting" of the Obama Administration's refugee relocation program. This examination suggests the rejecting narratives construct a "sense of siege" in citizens driven by security fears and portrays refugees as villains. The author argues that the fear-based language in these policies, which is used to justify a state of exception, further marginalizes the status of the stateless noncitizen refugees.

Narrative Empathy

“…Our hope is to provide new insights to the study of narrative and of climate change narratives. We also hope to provide a stronger and more democratic foundation to the usefulness of the NPF, as research on the policy narrative, in particular NPF research, has become increasingly interested in how the use of narrative relates to democracy (see, for example, Jones and McBeth 2020;McBeth and Lybecker 2018;McBeth and Pearsall 2021;Pope 2017).…”

“…Thus, we contend that it is important to study working class climate change narratives. In today's political world, the policy narrative, which is a story told to sway opinions, is a frequently studied concept (Foroughi, Gabriel and Fotaki 2019;Juhi 2018;Knüpfer 2018;Pope 2017). Narratives are often more powerful than facts (see, for example, Janssen et al 2013;Tamul et al 2021) and there is often large disjuncture between the empirical reality of the impact of a policy and the narratives surrounding it (McBeth, Tokle and Schaefer 2018).…”

“…In today's political world, the policy narrative, which is a story told to sway opinions, is a frequently studied concept (Foroughi, Gabriel and Fotaki 2019; Juhi 2018; Knüpfer 2018; Pope 2017). Narratives are often more powerful than facts (see, for example, Janssen et al .…”

Note From the Editor

“…However, when read together in this issue of WAJ , they form a detailed set of inter‐related arguments, information, and observations that serve as a useful symposium on recent and current events in the region. All converge in illustrating and commenting on some of the most pressing concerns that face the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region today, update previous WAJ articles in the area (see, for example, Choksy and Choksy 2016; Hama 2020; Hayden 2016; Pope 2018; Totten 2016), and offer useful recommendations and advice for policy practitioners both within and beyond the Middle East.…”

Note From the Editor

“…Our first contribution adds to a growing group of WAJ articles on identity, security, and conflict in the MENA region (see, for example, Pope 2018; Choksy and Choksy 2016; Totten 2016). In “The Securitization and De‐Securitization of Kurdish Societal Security in Turkey, Iraq, Iran, and Syria,” Hawre Hasan Hama tackles key issues confronting the largest ethnic group in the MENA region who do not have their own state.…”