record

Thesis Info

LABS ID
Thesis Title
ON MIGRANTS, PARASITES AND METAPHOR-REWORKING THE PEJORATIVE FRAMING
Author
Sabrina Mumtaz Hasan
2nd Author
3rd Author
Degree
Masters of Arts
Year
2019
Number of Pages
55
University
University of the Arts London
Thesis Supervisor
Adrian Holme
Supervisor e-mail
Other Supervisor(s)
Heather Barnett, Nathan Cohen
Language(s) of Thesis
English
Department / Discipline
Art, Communication, Culture & Performance
Copyright Ownership
Sabrina Mumtaz Hasan
Languages Familiar to Author
English, Arabic, Bengali
URL where full thesis can be found
www.academia.edu/48927489/ON_MIGRANTS_PARASITES_AND_METAPHOR_REWORKING_THE_PEJORATIVE_FRAMING
Keywords
Parasite, Host, Political Crises, Migrant, Transit, Departure, Clinical Parasitology, Metaphor, Media, Diagram
Abstract: 200-500 words
This paper is inescapably within the climate of Brexit, EU Referendums and political crises, informing both immigration policy support and discouragement. My motivation for this paper is to produce positive associations to the metaphor ‘migrants are parasites.’ To harness, take control of and rework the metaphor. The parasite metaphor has been heavily used pejoratively in media broadcasting, by political persons (who I will discuss in full) directing the metaphor at marginalised migrant groups and since the potential separation of Britain from the EU. This paper will shed light on the negative uses of the parasite metaphor, the historical biological and contemporary metaphor associations made; and mechanisms used to form metaphor to create positive connections to the term parasite. To highlight, the favourable aspects of migrants and positive new research on beneficial biological parasites which sit in our bodies. This conversation debates perspectives both for and against migrants being amongst us and negotiates this through the development of a positive parasite metaphor for migrants. This is purely a critique of the language used to describe people who are migrants being harmful parasites. What's more, this is not isolated to the political arena of the UK during Brexit but is a metaphor that has been used in many countries by a variety of persons including the USA as a form of hateful, derogative slang against the migrant. To be able to dismantle the negative association and create a positive one, still in keeping with the word parasite, we must first address how this metaphor was made and stayed. Once this has been visualised, we will then need to dismantle the factors which allow the negative association to withstand in media and news broadcasting. Awareness of the mechanisms used to create a metaphor will allow us to challenge, work through, then reform the current language. To then focus on the benefits of being a migrant, a stranger newcomer and even a parasite. To challenge my own position and the main question, I will be discussing the contrasting views which are a large demographic of the world's population, who find it difficult and refuse to live with migrants and continue to call them parasites in the negative sense, still, potentially until, reading this paper.