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Exploring the Ambivalence of Liquid Racism: In between antiracist and racist discourse
Edited by Argiris Archakis and Villy Tsakona
[Pragmatics & Beyond New Series 341] 2024
► pp. 202–224

Chapter 8
“Wouldn’t it be better for me to earn my own money and pay taxes?”

Liquid racism and the ‘ideal’ refugee in UK charity representations of migrant stories

| University of Liverpool
| University of Liverpool
This study concentrates on migrant representations in stories posted on the websites of UK charity organizations. Drawing upon critical discourse analytic and narrative positioning tools, we examine migrant identity navigation in the past and present that, predominantly, leads to the construction of fulfillment identities. We discuss the ways in which these positionings promote an ideal migrant norm that contributes to wider national homogenizing discourses. We view these stories as sites of liquid racism that divide migrants who succeed and are, thus, fulfilled and migrants who are deviant. We interrogate these representations, given that charity organizations are committed to providing social assistance to migrants and refugees, thus aligning with humanitarian and antiracist discourses.
Keywords: charity organizations, migrants, narrative positioning, ideal refugee, fulfilment identities, deviant identities, liquid racism
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Racism: Anti, liquid, internalized
  • 3.‘The nation and its people’: The UK climate
  • 4.Identity and narrative positioning
  • 5.The data of the study
  • 6.Analysis
    • 6.1Fulfillment identities: Positive adjustment and the ‘ideal’ refugee
    • 6.2Deviant identities: A desire to conform
  • 7.Discussion and final remarks
  • Notes
  • References
Published online: 15 February 2024
DOI logo
https://doi.org/10.1075/pbns.341.08lam
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