Migration Discourse

Abstract

The concept of migration can be broadly defined as the movement of people from one place to another. Those involved in this kind of movement are generally referred to as migrants. This entry traces different ways in which LSI scholars engage with the topic of “migration discourse,” or the study of the specific and distinct communicative practices that accompany the phenomenon of migration. The different sections identify the main foci and contexts of this kind of research, highlighting the interdependence of the specific everyday contexts in which migrants develop their identities, as well as the more macro, institutional dimensions where the concept of “migrant” is framed in particular ways and for different kinds of purposes.

‘Foreigners in Our Schools’: Cultural Diversity, Othering, and the Desire for Justice in Schools

“…Throughout these Eurocentric notions both the idea of ‘Europe’ and ‘the rest’ is created (Hall, 1992; Said, 1979). Up to today, essentialized notions of culture, nationality and migration are major platforms for perpetuating such ideas (El-Tayeb, 2011; Guillem, 2015; Moffitt & Juang, 2019). For example, El-Tayeb (2011) remarks that mobilizing ‘nationality’ as means of clearly separating ‘nationals’ and ‘migrants’ is an overarching, continent-wide issue in Europe.…”