Dignity and the “Migrant and Refugee Crisis” in France: Analyzing the Politics of Framing the “Migrant-Refugee” Concept and its Shift

Abstract

This article aims to analyze the transformation of what may be termed the politics of framing the concept of the “migrant-refugee.” The present paper examines the manner in which migrants and refugees are classified by the French administration and perceived by French society in the midst of the European “migrant-refugee crisis.” Three observations are made: (1) the differentiation between legitimate “refugees” and illegal “migrants”; (2) the justification of the exclusion of the latter in the name of guaranteeing protection for the former; and (3) the reconfiguration of the hierarchy of categories in the asylum system. These observations allow us to note several arguments contending that priority must be accorded to the individual rather than to the group and that these are favors granted rather than rights claimed; further, such logic fragments and places individuals in similar situations within a hierarchy. The combination of the aforementioned aspects poses a major challenge to the building of a collaborative and cohesive solidarity movement.