KULTUR, INDIVIDUALITET OCH HEGEMONI En kritisk diskursanalys av migrantdiskurser i tidskriften Socionomen

Abstract

Two important processes stand out in terms of how social work is developed and carried out in Sweden, these being transnational migration and the neoliberal transformation of the welfare state. Against this background this paper aims to critically analyze how a journal addressed to professional social workers depicts migrants and social work with migrants. To accomplish this, Norman Fairclough's three-dimensional approach to Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) is employed in a close reading of four articles. The articles, dealing with migrants and migrant related topics from various aspects, were sampled from the journal Socionomen. Two dominant discourses in the discursive practice are identified in the sample. These are a migrant discourse and a neoliberal discourse on worthy individuals. The migrant discourse is underpinned by a notion of difference based on culture while also placing a strong emphasis on gendered difference. The neoliberal discourse is constructed around individuality, highlighting exceptional persons, pushing narratives centered around ambition, hard work and independence. The textual analysis of the material shows that these discourses are reinforced and reproduced in the discursive practice. When analyzing social practice, the discursive practice is shown to be interconnected to the state's need for controlled migration, the spread of neoliberal ideology and the shaping of hegemonic consensus on migration discourses.