Border burden? - A Critical Discourse Analysis on the Securitization of Migration in the Maltese Media Discourse

Abstract: Due to the position of the Maltese archipelago in the central Mediterranean sea, Migration is a topic of recurring relevance. The particular geographical location and strong sense of cultural identity are central themes in the public discourse, influencing societal structures and political decision-making surrounding migration. This research makes use of a critical discourse analysis to understand the relevance of underlying and reproducing power relations in the field of study. By employing Fairclough’s three dimensional model, an in-depth analysis of the role of speech acts for the threat construction in media discourse is presented. Securitization functions as the main theoretical framework and incorporates social identity theory to outline the relevance of in- and outgroup categorization. Through a comprehensive analysis of the concepts of identity, risk and uncertainty, and threat construction the discourse on migration in Maltese media is portrayed thoroughly. The study finds that power relations are found to be of key relevance for the securitization of migration, uncovering underlying influences of the Maltese media discourse on migration.