The Syrian Refugee Crisis in Canadian Media

Tyyskä, Vappu; Blower, Jenna; DeBoer, Samantha; Kawai, Shunya; Walcott, Ashley

doi:10.32920/ryerson.14669130

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 3 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Although Syrian refugees entered Canada through a highly-praised sponsorship program rather than 'illegally' crossing the borders, studies of the coverage of Syrian refugees in the Canadian media have found biased depictions of the group as passive victims and potential threats and burdens. For example, Tyyskä et al (2017) identified frequent descriptions of Syrian refugees as vulnerable and lacking agency, while Syrian men were specifically highlighted as would-be terrorists in disguise. Although the tone of the coverage became softer and more humanizing after the emergence of the Kurdi photo (Wallace, 2018), another study found that in conservativeleaning newspapers, Syrian refugees were depicted as a burden on the healthcare system and housing resources, demonstrating the role of ideological stances of the news sources in their representations (Mustafa et al, 2021).…”

Section: Refugees In the Newsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A corpus-assisted discourse analysis of the representation of Syrian refugees in Canadian newspapers

Sijani

2023

Discourse & Communication

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This paper examines the representation of Syrian refugees in the Canadian press, from December 2015 to December 2017, in four English-language major newspapers. Using methods of Corpus Linguistics (CL) and Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), this study found three prominent themes, namely intake, integration, and concern, through which Syrian refugees are depicted across the political spectrum. The results indicate that adopting a more inclusive immigration policy did not totally negate the biased and discriminatory representations entrenched in the media coverage of refugees, but it can set the stage for more empowering and sympathetic treatment of refugees in the media. This analysis speaks to the importance of media discourse in producing and maintaining particular depictions of refugees among the Canadian public, highlighting the role of ideological and political stances in the portrayals of refugees across news outlets.

show abstract

Section: Refugees In the Newsmentioning

confidence: 99%

A corpus-assisted discourse analysis of the representation of Syrian refugees in Canadian newspapers

Sijani

2023

Discourse & Communication

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…to flee the Syrian Arab Republic since the outset of the country's civil war in 2011 (Filler et al, 2021). The Syrian conflict is multifaceted, with various complex causes of civil unrest (Oudshoorn et al, 2020;Podraza, 2018;Sen, 2016;Tyyskä et al, 2017). Chief among such causes are the residual consequences of colonial rule in Syria, as well as the Arab Spring uprisings in the early 2010s (Sen, 2016), described as the "mass movement of revolutions and protests" against governmental misconduct throughout Syria and other Arab countries (Hove & Mutanda, 2015, p. 560).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…By the end of 2017, Canada expanded the initial intake and accepted more than 40,000 refugees (Agroam, 2021;Drolet & Moorthi, 2018;Filler et al, 2021;Hanley et al, 2018;Tuck et al, 2019;Yohani et al, 2019), while other sources indicate Canada's intake of Syrian refugees has exceeded 50,000 since 2015 (Guo et al, 2019;Hynie et al, 2019). The Canadian government prioritized the acceptance of refugees determined to be most vulnerable, including women, children, families, and members of the LGBTQ+ community (Tyyskä et al, 2017). Moreover, the Government of Canada (2019) identified that of the nearly 40,000 Syrian refugees admitted by 2016, half were above the age of 18 while 51% of all refugees were males.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Syrian Refugees’ Stability and Opportunity in Canada and Implications on Mental Health

Cherubini

2023

Spectrum

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The Syrian conflict is a significant humanitarian crisis. An estimated 6.5 million Syrians have been forced to flee the Syrian Arab Republic since 2011. In 2015, the Canadian federal government promised to welcome 25,000 Syrian refugees, and expanded the number to 40,000 in 2017. Since 2015, Canada’s intake of Syrian refugees has exceeded 50,000, representing the largest number of refugees admitted in Canada since the Immigration Act of 1978. This paper reviews and analyzes the literature corresponding to Syrian refugees’ experiences as they transition to Canada by exploring key topics including sponsorship streams, employment, housing affordability, language acquisition, and educational opportunities. It examines obstacles in Syrian refugees’ successful integration into the aforementioned community and social services and underscores the importance of providing financial and material support for language acquisition and education opportunities to improve Syrian refugees’ acculturation process. The findings reveal two key themes in the literature—financial stability, and language and education—which are discussed in the context of their implications on Syrian refugees’ mental health. The paper discusses how the challenges of integrating into a host country can significantly undermine refugees’ ability to transition successfully. The review points to the importance of providing Syrian refugees with the necessary financial and material stability so as not to compound the stress and anxiety being experienced during the transition. The importance of language acquisition and education programs are also discussed in the literature review in the context of better facilitating Syrian refugees’ acculturation and contributing to positive mental health outcomes.

show abstract

The Fragile Obligation: Gratitude, Discontent, and Dissent with Syrian Refugees in Canada

2021

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

This article analyzes the emotional lives of Syrian refugee mothers in the first year of their recent resettlement in Canada. Drawing on two waves of interviews with 41 newcomer mothers, we find three main affective themes in their resettlement narratives: gratitude, discontent, and dissent. Together, they capture a reality we term the fragile obligation, which reflects coexisting conditions of migratory indebtedness, disappointment, and critique. Inspired by foundational work in Critical Refugee Studies and Asian American/Ethnic Studies, centering refugee affect holds promise for revising dominant scholarly theories of immigrant integration, assimilation, and belonging from migrants’ perspectives in an era of widespread backlash, especially against Syrian and MENA/Muslim immigrants and refugees. By identifying complex post-migration affective states like the fragile obligation, researchers can help build more effective policies and practices to support Syrians and other forced migrants.

show abstract

The Syrian Refugee Crisis in Canadian Media

Cited by 3 publications

References 3 publications

A corpus-assisted discourse analysis of the representation of Syrian refugees in Canadian newspapers

A corpus-assisted discourse analysis of the representation of Syrian refugees in Canadian newspapers

Syrian Refugees’ Stability and Opportunity in Canada and Implications on Mental Health

The Fragile Obligation: Gratitude, Discontent, and Dissent with Syrian Refugees in Canada

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About