Portraying Refugees - A Critical Discourse Analysis of UNHCR's Mediation of Refugee Stories
Author
Møller, Sarah Lang
Term
4. semester
Education
Publication year
2025
Abstract
This thesis examines how UNHCR portrays refugees in written stories on its global website and the extent to which these portrayals align with the values stated in UNHCR's mission statement. The analysis covers the mission statement and 20 mediated refugee stories published between January 1 and December 31, 2024. Methodologically, it applies Norman Fairclough’s Critical Discourse Analysis as the primary theoretical and analytical framework, supplemented by general discourse analysis and the concept of academic ventriloquism, to uncover linguistic choices and underlying power relations. The study identifies two surface narratives: a hardship narrative that frames refugees as victims, and a hope narrative that highlights resilience and agency. While textually distinct, these narratives converge at the level of social practice by serving similar organizational agendas and reproducing power structures that maintain UNHCR’s dominant position. The analysis shows strategic language use that creates an illusion of including refugee voices while backgrounding UNHCR’s narrative control; the organization acts both as mediator and as a (metaphorical) academic ventriloquist, often speaking through refugees rather than amplifying their own voices. Overall, the findings indicate a continuity of traditional humanitarian approaches and a notable gap between discourse in theory and practice. The thesis contributes by illuminating understudied material and situating the results within scholarly debates about potential paradigm shifts in UNHCR’s refugee discourse.
Dette speciale undersøger, hvordan UNHCR portrætterer flygtninge i skriftlige historier på organisationens globale hjemmeside, og i hvilken grad disse fremstillinger stemmer overens med værdierne i UNHCR's mission statement. Undersøgelsen analyserer mission statementet og 20 formidlede flygtningehistorier publiceret mellem 1. januar og 31. december 2024. Metodisk anvendes Norman Faircloughs Critical Discourse Analysis som hovedramme, suppleret af generel diskursanalyse og begrebet akademisk ventriloquisme, for at afdække sproglige valg og underliggende magtstrukturer. Studiet identificerer to overfladenarrativer: et lidelsesnarrativ, der fremstiller flygtninge som ofre, og et håbsnarrativ, der betoner handlekraft og modstandskraft. Selvom de adskiller sig tekstuelt, konvergerer de på niveauet for social praksis ved at tjene lignende organisatoriske formål og reproducere magtrelationer, som fastholder UNHCR's overordnede position. Analysen peger på en strategisk sprogbrug, der skaber en illusion af inklusion af flygtningestemmer, samtidig med at UNHCR's narrative kontrol nedtones; organisationen optræder både som formidler og som (metaforisk) akademisk bugtaler, der ofte taler gennem flygtningene snarere end at forstærke deres egne stemmer. Samlet peger resultaterne på en fortsættelse af traditionelle humanitære tilgange og et tydeligt spænd mellem diskurs i teori og praksis. Specialet bidrager ved at belyse hidtil underbelyst materiale og placere fundene i den faglige debat om mulige paradigmeskift i UNHCR's flygtningediskurs.
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