Resistance to the dehumanisation of asylum seekers in Australia’s mediated public sphere

An audience perspective

Bibliographic Data

ID11268149
AuthorsAshleigh Haw (0000-0001-5080-1699, The University of Melbourne, corresponding author), Farida Fozdar (0000-0003-3463-7299, The University of Western Australia), R Cover (0000-0002-8815-2126, RMIT University)
Year2020
Volume42
Issue6
Pages898-914
Publication date2020-09-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueMedia Culture & Society (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0163-4437 • E-ISSN: 1460-3675
PublisherSAGE Publications (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1177/0163443719890531
OpenAlexW2998562388
LanguageEN
Citations received6
References cited58

Media narratives that dehumanise asylum seekers have tremendous power to shape and reinforce public support for policies that jeopardise the well-being of some of the world’s most vulnerable people. Research suggests that such dehumanisation is exacerbated by the limited opportunities these groups have to contribute to media coverage about their experiences. In response, scholars have advocated for more inclusion of asylum seekers’ voices in news coverage; however, little is known about how Australian media audiences are engaging with this issue. This article discusses research utilising Critical Discourse Analysis alongside a cultural studies Audience Reception framework to examine the perspectives of 24 Western Australians concerning news discourses about asylum seekers. Resistance to dehumanising constructions was a recurring theme, with many participants arguing for greater inclusion of asylum seekers voices’ in news depictions of their plight. These findings suggest that some audiences are challenging and resisting dehumanising discourses about asylum seekers and in some cases, demonstrating awareness of Australian media’s evident exclusion of their voices. Examined through Judith Butler’s social ethics lens, we consider these findings in the light of positions that advocate for the provision of voice as a means to a more ethical and inclusive Australian media

Art · Asylum seeker · Critical discourse analysis · Dehumanization · Inclusion (mineral · Media studies · Narrative · Perspective (graphical · Political science · Politics · Power (physics · Public relations · Public sphere · Refugee · Resistance (ecology · Social exclusion · Social media · Sociology · Climate Change, Adaptation, Migration · Gender Studies · Law · Migration, Health and Trauma · Migration, Refugees, and Integration

Tools

Open DOISci-HubOpen Access