Hur bilden av Alan Kurdi framställdes i svensk nyhetsrapportering under september 2015

Sammanfattning

As a consequence of the Arab Spring, 2015 became a turbulent year marked by a recordnumber of people fleeing to Europe, the largest movement of displaced people since theSecond World War. Media reports about those forced to leave their homes in search of saferand better lives often followed a recurring pattern in which refugees were portrayed asanonymous groups, reduced to statistics, or even dehumanized. This study examines 24Swedish newspaper articles published in September 2015, all covering Alan Kurdi and histragic death with the aim of exploring how narratives about him were constructed and howthese narratives relate to earlier portrayals of people fleeing conflict and displacement. Usinga qualitative narrative analysis, informed by frame analysis and through thematic analysis, thematerial was examined through the lens of theories of humanization and dehumanization.This study also considers how media portrayals of migrants and refugees can influencepolitical discourse and public perceptions.In relation to previous studies on the representation and portrayal of refugees, it quicklybecame clear that Alan Kurdi represented an exception to this pattern. He and his family wereportrayed as individuals with their own thoughts, feelings, fears and personal histories.Empathy and identification were evident throughout the articles. Alan came to symbolize therefugee crisis and became a representation of the Syrian people forced to flee. Anotherrecurring pattern in the material was how his story and death were used politically byjournalists and commentators to argue for change in migration politics. His death was framedas a possible turning point as a call for more human migration policies in both Sweden andthe European Union, with hopes that Alan’s case would become the last tragic death in theMediterranean Sea. The portrayal of Alan in these articles therefore marked a clear breakfrom the broader media pattern in which people fleeing are often described in generalized anddehumanizing ways.