The problematisation of refugees in Danish Asylum Policies
Author
Schødt, Maria
Term
4. term
Publication year
2020
Submitted on
2020-12-21
Pages
39
Abstract
Specialet undersøger et skifte i Socialdemokratiets asylpolitik og spørger, hvordan flygtninge bliver gjort til et “problem” i partiets politiske diskurs. Det anvender Carol Bacchis tilgang 'What’s the problem represented to be?' (WPR), som undersøger, hvordan politik definerer problemer, og hvilke virkninger disse definitioner har, og bruger den på sprog og debat om asyl. Analysen ser på de begreber, antagelser og løsninger, der indlejres i måden, flygtninge omtales på. For at gå i dybden benytter specialet også Schneider og Ingrams teori om den sociale konstruktion af målgrupper (1997). Denne ramme viser, hvordan grupper placeres som “fortjente” eller “ufortjente”, med konkrete konsekvenser for, hvordan de behandles i politik. Undersøgelsen ser på, hvordan sådanne kategorier præger billedet af flygtninge og påvirker dansk asylpolitik og politisk debat. Endvidere behandles repræsentationen af flygtninges rettigheder med udgangspunkt i Hannah Arendts kritik af menneskerettighederne—ideen om “retten til at have rettigheder”, som peger på grænserne for rettigheder, når mennesker mangler politisk medlemskab. Specialet ser også på skepsis over for internationale aftaler på både nationalt og overnationalt niveau for at forstå, hvordan problematiseringen af flygtninge bliver reproduceret. Samlet giver det en kritisk forståelse af, hvordan politisk rammesætning påvirker asylpolitik og flygtninges rettigheder.
This thesis examines a shift in the Danish Social Democratic Party’s asylum policy and asks how refugees are made into a “problem” in the party’s political discourse. It uses Carol Bacchi’s “What’s the problem represented to be?” (WPR) approach, which studies how policies define problems and what effects those definitions have, and applies it to the language and debate around asylum. The analysis considers the concepts, assumptions, and proposed solutions embedded in how refugees are described. To deepen the analysis, the thesis draws on Schneider and Ingram’s theory of the social construction of target populations (1997). This framework shows how groups are labeled as “deserving” or “undeserving,” with real consequences for how they are treated in policy. The study explores how such labels shape the public image of refugees and influence Danish asylum policy and political discourse. The thesis also examines how refugees’ rights are represented by engaging with Hannah Arendt’s critique of human rights—the idea of a “right to have rights,” which highlights the limits of rights when people lack membership in a political community. Finally, it considers skepticism toward international agreements at both national and supranational levels to understand how the problematization of refugees is reproduced. Together, these perspectives offer a critical understanding of how political framing affects asylum policy and refugees’ rights.
[This summary has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]
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