As part of the ongoing debate on freedom of expression, this thesis addresses the tension between media freedom and the harms that result from pejorative media narratives of refugees. The debate...Show moreAs part of the ongoing debate on freedom of expression, this thesis addresses the tension between media freedom and the harms that result from pejorative media narratives of refugees. The debate often focuses on speech types that can be linked to more apparent harms, such as hate speech. Pejorative media narratives are often overlooked in discussions about freedom of expression because they lack an explicit intention to promote harm and their effects are not immediately visible. With the influence of the media growing continuously, however, it is becoming increasingly important to consider the ethical boundaries of pejorative media narratives. This thesis explores the question: On what grounds, if any, can limits on media freedom of expression be justified? By taking an egalitarian approach, I contend that a commitment to the moral equality of individuals warrants limiting media freedom of expression in cases where equal moral status is undermined. Because pejorative media narratives of refugees perpetuate structural harms that infringe on their equal moral worth, certain limits are warranted. Considering the costs of limitation, I conclude that media organizations should self-regulate by implementing ethical guidelines for reporting on refugees.Show less
While the number of cross-border climate migrants is increasing, their legal protection remains fragmented. Examining the idea of expanding the 1951 UN Refugee Convention to include climate...Show moreWhile the number of cross-border climate migrants is increasing, their legal protection remains fragmented. Examining the idea of expanding the 1951 UN Refugee Convention to include climate migrants, I conclude that their situation is different from those of political refugees in a morally relevant sense, which entitles them to a new kind of protection. Based on that conclusion, I develop a just protection framework for climate migrants, which sets out migrants’ rights and the duties of states that are associated with granting these rights. The proposed framework particularly focuses on migrants’ agency and procedural justice since both highly contribute to the relocation’s success. To mitigate possible feasibility constraints, because of states’ lack of willingness to implement such a framework, I introduce a market system which allows states to trade the responsibility to host climate migrants in the form of “migrant quotas”, thereby giving them more flexibility. However, since such a market approach would undermine migrants’ agency, I propose a matching system, which matches migrants’ preferences about where to move, with states’ non-discriminatory preferences about what migrants they are willing to accommodate.Show less
Based on the Rhetorical Political Analysis, this thesis examines rhetoric used by Dutch political party leaders on their attitude towards refugees during the ‘migration crisis’ and after this...Show moreBased on the Rhetorical Political Analysis, this thesis examines rhetoric used by Dutch political party leaders on their attitude towards refugees during the ‘migration crisis’ and after this crisis. This thesis will be adding to the literature on the increase of anti-immigration attitudes and the Dutch immigration discourse. However, the thesis will focus on what is missing in this literature and that is how political party discourse and speeches by Dutch party leaders promote the acceptance or refusal of refugees. The data were collected through the rhetoric of Dutch political party leaders Geert Wilders and Jesse Klaver. Results suggest that despite the similarities in rhetorical arguments, the ideologies of the party leaders are distinct both before and after the ‘migration crisis’.Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
open access
This ethnographic research takes an in-depth look at the identities of refugees (and other border-crossers), refugee communities and politics of belonging. Through the ethnographic method of...Show moreThis ethnographic research takes an in-depth look at the identities of refugees (and other border-crossers), refugee communities and politics of belonging. Through the ethnographic method of narrative approach, it explores the perceptions of refugees on their identity, communities and work and shows how these affect and are affected by politics of belonging. Using ethnographic methods of participant observation and informal interviews in the geographic area of Athens and Piraeus, Greece, I explore contested refugee narratives about refugee identity, refugee communities and work. I use “refugee communities” and “work”, as the main lens through which to discuss what protects, supports or helps them outside and aside of the humanitarian and the asylum system. I discuss the terms of “refugee” and “refugee community”, showing the complex ways people and theory make sense of them. The main argument of my analysis is that, dealing with the so called “refugee crisis”, also means examining our perceptions on the contested narratives around refugee identities and making the choice to “stay close” to people, who already make up part of our societies.Show less
This thesis researches how UK news media report on refugee policies for Ukrainian and non-Ukrainian migrants. Using a double comparative case study and discourse analysis, the study explores...Show moreThis thesis researches how UK news media report on refugee policies for Ukrainian and non-Ukrainian migrants. Using a double comparative case study and discourse analysis, the study explores differences in coverage, since this can have major influence on public opinion and government policies. The thesis found that the conservative news media were in favour of the Rwanda Asylum Plan, whereas the liberal news media opposed the plan. Reporting on Ukrainian refugees was much more positive and sympathetic, using personal stories and interviews. Racial connotations and ethnic backgrounds contribute to the divergent coverage. The study contributes to understanding different treatment of migrant groups and the role of news media in shaping policies and public opinion.Show less
Background: The number of forced migrants worldwide has been rising for years. Many forced migrants suffer from PTSD, yet demand for mental health care is high and waiting times long. Group-based...Show moreBackground: The number of forced migrants worldwide has been rising for years. Many forced migrants suffer from PTSD, yet demand for mental health care is high and waiting times long. Group-based interventions provide a solution, as they allow for the treatment of more patients. They also provide some unique benefits beyond those of individual therapy. Aims: To evaluate the effectiveness of group-based psychological and psychosocial interventions in reducing symptoms of PTSD in child, adolescent, and adult forced migrants, and to investigate treatment predictors (treatment type, gender, age, and number of sessions). Methods: We conducted systematic searches in PubMed and Web of Science, searched the preprint server Biorxiv.org, and performed a grey literature search (final search date: March 9, 2022). A random-effects model was used for data synthesis, and moderator and subgroup analyses were performed with the predictors. Results: The systematic search yielded 38 eligible studies, including 43 treatment arms. Results showed significant effects of group therapy in reducing PTSD symptoms (Cohen’s d = -0.89, 95% CI = [-1.06, -0.72], SE = 0.085, z = -10.437, p < .001), with substantial heterogeneity. It is likely that publication bias existed. The selected predictors did not affect outcomes. Conclusion: Group therapy effectively reduces PTSD symptoms in forced migrants. Considering its cost and time efficiency and other benefits, practitioners should consider implementing group therapy (more frequently). Future studies will need to consider other predictors, compare group therapy with individual therapy, and evaluate long term effects.Show less
Refugees form a population with a high prevalence of psychological disorders relative to non-refugee populations (WHO, 2021). It has been suggested that cultural adaptation of psychological...Show moreRefugees form a population with a high prevalence of psychological disorders relative to non-refugee populations (WHO, 2021). It has been suggested that cultural adaptation of psychological treatments can help to optimise the effectiveness of treatments for refugees, but there is a lack of clear research on this topic. The current work addresses this by investigating the following research question: Are culturally adapted psychological treatments more effective than non-adapted treatments in reducing symptoms of PTSD, depression and anxiety in refugees? It is hypothesized that culturally adapted treatments are more effective than non-adapted treatments. The research question is explored by performing a meta-analysis of treatment effects from a selection of studies. Results from the meta-analysis show significant treatment effects of culturally adapted treatments and non-adapted treatments for PTSD, depression and anxiety. However, no significant differences in treatment effects were found between culturally adapted treatments and non-adapted treatments. Therefore, the conclusion is that culturally adapted treatments for PTSD, depression and anxiety are not more effective for refugees than non-adapted treatments. The main implication of this is that it might not be necessary for clinicians and researchers to invest in cultural adaptation of psychological treatments.Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
open access
Thousands of migrants and asylum-seekers are entering the Netherlands in various (legal) ways and are stuck in a waiting time in different aspects of their procedures of acquiring residency. This...Show moreThousands of migrants and asylum-seekers are entering the Netherlands in various (legal) ways and are stuck in a waiting time in different aspects of their procedures of acquiring residency. This research project explores realms of migrating to the Netherlands by focussing on the perception of temporalities, documentation and communication with Dutch authorities like the IND (Immigration and Naturalization Service). Diving into the theoretical concepts of power-chronography, delaying, waiting and errance, I explore how appointments with the IND, being transferred, and having no legal residence documents and other (bureaucratic) challenges are experiences in the lived experiences of my collaborators. All four collaborators present in this thesis, as well in the audiovisual output in the form of a zine, have their own ambitions and coping strategies with caring for their time while being in documentation and bureaucratic challenges, such as waiting for the second interview with the IND. Embedded within the framework of visual ethnography, this thesis attempts to dive into methodological reflections of zine-making as process and as audio-visual product in a multimodal way (including film and soundscapes accessible via QR codes). Together with the four young male collaborators from Kenya, Guinea, Yemen and Afghanistan, we aim to show parts of the asylum procedure in an artistic manner and critically question the current Dutch migration system and distribute the zines to engage with the research in line with the zine history of anti-institutionalism and activism. This research contributes to critically unpacking what the intersections of power, documentation and temporalities mean for the four collaborators in their lived experiences, shedding light on in which forms they find agency and control while currently being in the residency acquiring in the Netherlands. Thereby this research project in form of the written thesis and the accompanying zine contribute to the discourse of temporalities and migration.Show less
One of the difficulties that refugees face is the impact of exposure to traumatic events over long periods of time, which can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. This study aimed to...Show moreOne of the difficulties that refugees face is the impact of exposure to traumatic events over long periods of time, which can lead to post-traumatic stress disorder, or PTSD. This study aimed to examine the impact of PTSD on cognitive learning potential in refugee adolescents. The 13 participants (mean age = 13.15, 53.85% male) and their parents were recruited through language schools in the Zuid-Holland province in the Netherlands. Cognitive learning potential was measured with a new promising measure, the computerized dynamic test of analogical reasoning. The study was of an experimental pre-test-training-post-test design with two conditions, training and control. The participants completed exercises of analogical reasoning pre-test, then the experimental condition received graduated prompts training. Both groups completed exercises post-test. The effectiveness of the training was examined, but no significant results were found, although both the training and control groups significantly improved from pre-test to post-test. No significant relationship was found between PTSD symptoms and learning potential. Then, anxiety and cognitive empathy were investigated as mediators in the relationship between PTSD symptoms and learning potential. No significant relationships were found. Although the present study has no direct contribution to research, implications for future studies are discussed.Show less
Forced migration is an endemic and worldwide phenomenon that results from human or nature induced conflicts such as (violent) conflicts, persecution or natural disasters. People are coerced to...Show moreForced migration is an endemic and worldwide phenomenon that results from human or nature induced conflicts such as (violent) conflicts, persecution or natural disasters. People are coerced to migrate to seek safety since they are often at the risk of their life. The issue of forced migration is generally tackled through institutions and international legal systems through top-down approaches, especially because forced migrants often have to cross international borders. While some forced migrants have improved living conditions in comparison to their pre-migration situation, a lot of forced migrants end up in refugee camps, where they experience poor living conditions. There, they are often excluded from their host community and their humanitarian needs are not always met. A more collaborative and communal approach through human agency has been neglected in comparison to the top-down approaches. For voluntary migrants, interactions and relationships with the host community have been shown to benefit their well-being. This thesis aims to examine how the sense of community affects the quality of life of forced migrants, especially when they arrive in their host community, because forced migrants often have to leave their home community and family network behind.Show less
Master thesis | Cultural Anthropology and Development Sociology (MSc)
open access
Community music is a way of making music within a group of people, by letting everyone participate in the process in their unique way. Sounds of Change uses community music in order to establish...Show moreCommunity music is a way of making music within a group of people, by letting everyone participate in the process in their unique way. Sounds of Change uses community music in order to establish social change in refugee centres. But how do they use social change in order to pursue social change and what social change are they seeking for? This study explores the effects of community music on children in Dutch refugee centres. After conducting semi-structured interviews and participant observation, I suggest that, in order to establish a sense of communal belonging, creativity and connection among the participants of the workshops, a safe space is required. Whenever children feel safe, they dare to share their ideas. A common language is not required for this; music can often speak for itself. Moreover, Sounds of Change equalizes all individuals and embraces cultural diversity, which is considered more common in grassroots and pragmatic practices than in national Dutch multicultural policies.Show less
This thesis examines in what ways the online news media has framed refugees and asylum seekers who arrived in Europe and specifically the Netherlands during the refugee crisis that started in 2015....Show moreThis thesis examines in what ways the online news media has framed refugees and asylum seekers who arrived in Europe and specifically the Netherlands during the refugee crisis that started in 2015. Carrying out a qualitative content analysis of all news articles on refugees uploaded over a period of six years, it has been possible to construct four distinct connotative frames that used to depict refugees: normalization, victimization, burden and threat. The results show that on the long-term, the victimization-frame turned out to be the most popular frame to use on refugees. Additionally, online news turns out to be susceptible to the occurrence of key events, which occurrence determines the dominant frame of the subsequent weeks. This study nuances the idea that refugees are increasingly portrayed negatively by providing a long-term insight and shows the diffuse process and developments that have occurred over time.Show less
With ever-increasing numbers of migration, an effective integration for refugees becomes more important every day. Abraço Cultural is a Brazilian NGO that aims to employ refugees and train them to...Show moreWith ever-increasing numbers of migration, an effective integration for refugees becomes more important every day. Abraço Cultural is a Brazilian NGO that aims to employ refugees and train them to be language teachers for their native language, whilst also teaching students about their home country's culture. This thesis investigates the effectiveness of Abraço Cultural's aid in integration by analyzing interviews held with refugees in their employment. It aims to measure Abraço Cultural's success rate by comparing it to domains for integration as laid out in a theoretical framework by Ager and Strang (2008).Show less
This research aims to understand the process of belonging by analysing where and how Syrian refugees experience belonging in the Netherlands. Against the background of national integration debates...Show moreThis research aims to understand the process of belonging by analysing where and how Syrian refugees experience belonging in the Netherlands. Against the background of national integration debates that have defined belonging and integration in the Netherlands in synonymity with being able to culturally assimilate, it is argued that that seeing belonging in terms of cultural assimilation has led to heavy focus on integration criteria like language acquisition, labour market entry, and education as conditions for being able to feel “at home”. As the data collected from semi-structured interviews show and by using Antonsich’ conceptualisation of place-belongingness as a foundation from which the process of belonging is explored, it is emphasised that feeling “at home” is a multidimensional process that stretches between and beyond different locations, with refugees developing different methods to adapt to new environments, circumstances, and communities in order to be able to feel “at home”. Apart from the physical home functioning as a safe and private environment where one can be ‘at ease’ in, the data gathered from the interviews show that experiencing feeling “at home” within the physical home is under constant negotiating with the neighbourhood environment as social connections and encounters in the direct neighbourhood affect feeling “at home” in the physical home itself, showing that the physical home is not merely an impermeable private stronghold but rather a starting point from which other places in the wider neighbourhood environment are explored. In addition to the analysis of this feeling “at home” in the physical home, concrete public places are explored for their unique qualities and provide a person with possibilities to attach to new places when such qualities are recognised. Specifically, places of restoration and places of sociality are claimed to enable belonging by their capabilities to increase self-awareness through active participation. Exploring public spaces like buurthuizen and nursing homes enabled the respondents to be a caregiver instead of a care-receiver, adding an existential dimension to their perception on how belonging is experienced and meaningful place-attachment is effectuated on a local scale.Show less
