Terrorists at the Gates? Unauthorized Migrants and Discourses of Danger Cover Image

Terrorists at the Gates? Unauthorized Migrants and Discourses of Danger
Terrorists at the Gates? Unauthorized Migrants and Discourses of Danger

Author(s): Bernadette Nadya Jaworsky
Subject(s): Security and defense, Migration Studies
Published by: Transnational Press London
Keywords: Unauthorised migrants; discourses of danger; terrorists;

Summary/Abstract: This letter looks at public discourses about the 'dark side' of migration—its association with terror and danger. To understand these ‗discourses of danger‘ and the ways in which unauthorized migrants respond, I utilize qualitative data collected over four years of research in a small U.S. city that has recently received a large influx of foreign-born residents. I examine the ways in which unauthorized migrants—individually and collectively—frame and con-struct claims for social and political acceptance and the discursive survival strategies they employ in response to the growing incidence of physical and symbolic violence in their communities.

  • Issue Year: 8/2011
  • Issue No: 1
  • Page Range: 43-54
  • Page Count: 12
  • Language: English