Identity Through Crisis and Change:: Media Discourses in Poland and Sweden Before and After the Migration Crisis of 2015
2023 (English)Independent thesis Advanced level (degree of Master (Two Years)), 20 credits / 30 HE credits
Student thesis
Abstract [en]
This thesis explores the notion of a challenged collective Polish and Swedish identity construction within the European Union (EU) in relation to the migration crisis. This study employs theoretical perspectives of identity from Abdelal et al. (2006) and Laclau & Mouffe (1985) and applies identity within the European Union through signifiers: Schengen, Unity, Migration and Security. The aim is to understand whether the migration crisis has challenged the Swedish and Polish identity construction towards the EU. The analysis is conducted through a close reading of columns and editorials in popular news media from Poland and Sweden, spanning two distinct periods: the pre-migration phase (2010-2014) and the post-migration phase (2015-2019). The chosen media outlets were Aftonbladet and Svenska Dagbladet from Sweden and Gazeta Wyborcza and Rzeczpospolita from Poland. The results from the discourses found in Poland and Sweden show that the topic of unity was the most prominently featured aspect of identity in the columns and editorials during the pre-migration period. In the later post-migration period migration and Schengen were the most contested aspects of identity in Poland and Sweden. While some aspects of the EU- identity, particularly those related to migration, unity and Schengen, were in fact challenged during the migration crisis, the disagreement over these aspects turned out to be temporary. Particularly unaffected by the long-term discourse were the ideas of unity and Schengen. This study shows that while there can be differences in individual interests within a collective identity, the overall sense of community and unity endures in Poland and Sweden regarding the EU. The importance of contextual factors and actor-specific interests in the dynamic and complex process of collective identity construction within the EU is highlighted by this durability.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
2023. , p. 58
Keywords [en]
Sweden, Poland, European Union, Identity, Unity, Discourses, Migration, Crisis, Schengen, Security
National Category
Political Science (excluding Public Administration Studies and Globalisation Studies)
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:fhs:diva-11722OAI: oai:DiVA.org:fhs-11722DiVA, id: diva2:1783274
Subject / course
Political Science with a focus on Crisis Management and Security
Educational program
Master's programme in Politics, Security and War
Uppsok
Social and Behavioural Science, Law
Examiners
2023-08-032023-07-192023-08-03Bibliographically approved