Framing Refugees: How the Admission of Refugees is Debated in Six Countries across the World

This book explores the responses to admitting refugees adopted by governments in six different countries. It shows that government policy - as well as the stance of opposition parties - is dependent on the framing of both the country's collective identity and the identity and characteristics of the refugees.

Format: Hardback
Length: 352 pages
Publication date: 14 June 2024
Publisher: Oxford University Press

The number of people forcibly displaced from their homes has more than doubled during the last decade, with international law not allowing states to turn back refugees. However, some countries close their borders, some open their borders and grant extensive protection, and others admit some groups of refugees while excluding others. Daniel Drewski and Jürgen Gerhards show that governments' refugee policy and the stance adopted by opposition parties on the issue are heavily dependent on how they frame their country's collective identity and the identity and characteristics of the refugees. The book is based on a discourse analysis of parliamentary debates and explores the specific framing of nations' identities and the corresponding perceptions of otherness by focusing on six countries that have been confronted with large numbers of refugees: Germany, Poland, and Turkey, all responding to the exodus of Syrian and Middle Eastern refugees; Chile's reaction to the Venezuelan displacement; Singapore's stance towards Rohingya refugees; and Uganda's response to the displacement from South Sudan. The study explores differences between governments of different countries and the conflicting views of different political parties with regard to refugee policy.

Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780198904724