Race and liberal humanism: ‘Bogus’ migrants and privileged refugees

Abstract

This article examines the discrepancy in western media portrayals of Brown and Black migrants and Ukrainian refugees by using critical discourse analysis and representation (visual analysis). For many decades, western media coverage of the ongoing irregular migration to Europe, the United States and Australia has been characterized by racial bias against coloured migrants and refugees, regularly framing them either as criminals, swarms of insects, or a danger to western values and ‘way of life’. This hostile and dehumanizing discourse was not applied to Ukrainians forced to flee from Russia’s invasion of their country. On the contrary, Ukrainians have been embraced with open arms in Europe because, as many officials indicated, they are white and civilized Europeans. Within this racialized context, the article juxtaposes the media’s dehumanization of coloured migrants with portrayals of victimized Ukrainians and critically examines the framing of coloured migrants as imposters and unfit parents. The findings confirm that western attitude and policies towards immigration and responses to refugees’ plights are strictly based on race and religion. Used as registers of difference, they are often deployed to criminalize, punish and frame Brown migrants as shifting threats to western citizens, their stability, racial fabric or civilization.