The Issue in Rakhine - A Critical Discourse Analysis on a Potential Genocide on the Rohingya Population
Author
Jacobsen, Mette Elmbæk
Term
4. term
Education
Publication year
2019
Submitted on
2019-10-14
Pages
50
Abstract
Dette speciale undersøger, hvordan et muligt folkedrab mod Rohingyaerne bliver omtalt i fire artikler fra China Daily og The Guardian. I 2017 flygtede næsten 700.000 Rohingyaer fra Rakhine i Myanmar til Bangladesh, hvilket satte krisen på den internationale dagsorden. For at sammenligne politiske vinkler og fortællinger analyserer jeg artiklerne med Faircloughs tre-dimensionelle model for kritisk diskursanalyse, som ser på både sproget i teksterne og den sociale praksis omkring dem. Teoretisk bygger arbejdet på studier af folkedrab—med fokus på kritiske folkedrabsstudier—samt teori om overgangsretfærdighed (mekanismer, der søger sandhed, ansvarlighed og rettigheder efter alvorlige overgreb). Jeg afklarer, hvordan “folkedrab” defineres juridisk og akademisk, og hvordan overgangsretfærdighed indgår i debatten, især i FN og i de to aviser. Hovedspørgsmålet er: Hvilke ligheder og forskelle findes i diskurserne om et muligt folkedrab mod Rohingyaerne i China Daily og The Guardian? Resultatet viser, at The Guardian tegner et mørkere billede af krisen end China Daily. Diskurserne afspejler i høj grad deres landes overordnede linjer: I Storbritannien antydes, at Tatmadaws handlinger ligner folkedrab, mens Kina er tilbageholdende med at anerkende dette. Trods forskelle peger begge på en fælles social praksis: troen på overgangsretfærdighed og omtalen af Rohingyaerne som ofre med rettigheder, herunder muligheden for at vende hjem til Myanmar.
This thesis examines how a potential genocide against the Rohingya is discussed in four articles from China Daily and The Guardian. In 2017, nearly 700,000 Rohingya fled from Rakhine in Myanmar to Bangladesh, bringing the crisis to global attention. To compare political perspectives and narratives, I analyze the articles using Fairclough’s three-dimensional model of critical discourse analysis, which considers both the language in the texts and the social practices around them. The work is framed by genocide studies—especially critical genocide studies—and the theory of transitional justice (mechanisms that pursue truth, accountability, and rights after serious abuses). I clarify how “genocide” is defined in legal and academic terms, and how transitional justice features in the debate, particularly in the UN and in the two newspapers. The main research question is: What similarities and differences appear in the discourses on a potential genocide against the Rohingya in China Daily and The Guardian? The findings show that The Guardian portrays a darker reality than China Daily. These discourses broadly reflect national positions: in the UK, the Tatmadaw’s actions are suggested to resemble genocide, while China is reluctant to acknowledge this. Despite differences, both point to a shared social practice: a belief in transitional justice and the portrayal of the Rohingya as victims with rights, including the possibility of returning to Myanmar.
[This abstract was generated with the help of AI]
Keywords
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