The Construction of (Un)Desired Migrants in Policy: A Foucauldian Discourse Analysis of the EU’s New Pact on Migration and Asylum

Abstract: This thesis investigates the aspirations for the European Union’s future population composition through the European Commission’s proposal of the New Pact on Migration and Asylum. By examining six policy documents, this thesis investigates the migrant and citizen categories that are constructed and the technologies of biopower that will be employed to achieve the expressed aspirations. The research draws on Michel Foucault’s notion of biopolitics, discourse, and power/knowledge to offer a sociological analysis of the New Pact. It looks at how migrants are represented in six policy proposal documents. The analytical section is guided by the methodological approach of Foucauldian Discourse Analysis. The findings from the analysis show how the European Commission constructs an ideal subject – the desired migrant or citizen, which includes European citizens, vulnerable people, and talented and skilled migrants. At the same time, a contrasting group is constructed – the undesired group, which includes unauthorised migrants, security threats and low recognition rated third-country nationals. It is argued that the construction of binary migrant and citizen categories in the New Pact results from biopolitical aspirations to guarantee free movement within the European Union for some. In contrast, others are excluded by both physical and legal technologies of biopower. The essay contributes to a relevant subject in development studies by analysing how dominant power relations are reproduced in policy and thereby increases the understanding of the European Union migration discourse.