Global issues, including the current pandemic and ongoing climate change, shape voluntary and forced international migration flows in inequitable ways. Anti-immigrant discourses in the Global North seek to capitalize on public concerns about border control. Meanwhile, the greatest immigration challenges are borne by countries in the Global South. The majority of refugees who are forcibly displaced by war, political violence, poverty, and environmental disasters seek refuge in neighbouring regions where many states lack the capacity to adequately support them. Given these challenges, it is imperative for occupational scientists to work collaboratively to support equitable occupational possibilities for immigrants, refugees, and internally displaced persons. During this dialogic session we will 1) outline useful theoretical approaches for understanding how migration shapes engagement in occupations; 2) discuss specific ethical considerations and methods for studying migration and its occupational implications; and 3) share promising practices for working with people from migration backgrounds. Each topic will be introduced through a brief presentation from one of the co-authors sharing vignettes from their own research and professional experiences to ignite discussions. Following each of the three presentations, participants will be grouped strategically to build networks among those with similar interests. This may include grouping participants who share a language.>What are the gaps in occupation-based research on global migration, and how can these be collaboratively addressed?>How can occupational science contribute to discussions within migration studies?>What occupational concepts are most useful for studying different migrant populations?
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Citizens have responded to newcomers in the Netherlands with acts of solidarity and programmes to support integration, often in response to increasingly restrictive government policies. In a previously published study by the primary author, a critical discourse analysis was conducted of texts used in mandatory government integration programmes. Findings showed that texts discursively construct the “modern Us” the “unmodern Other” and a hierarchical relationship between the two, recreating in practice racialized categories reminiscent of colonial times. Considering the role citizen initiatives play in integration, it is important to also understand their discourse on integration. A critical discourse analysis using Bacchi’s What’s the Problem Represented to Be? approach was conducted on texts used in citizen initiatives for integration in the Netherlands. Additionally, as part of a larger institutional ethnography, ethnographic data was gathered on their day-to-day work. These data were analyzed through a theoretical lens inspired by occupational science, governmentality and post/decolonial studies. Initial findings show dominant discourses found in formal integration programmes being actively reproduced in citizen initiatives. Additionally, findings display concepts of ‘successful’ integration, the “Us”, and the “Other” being discursively shaped by promoting ‘modern’ occupations as part of ‘successful’ everyday life. Occupational science is a field with particular interest in social transformation projects, projects often based in the informal sector. Understanding how dominant discourses are reproduced in informal programmes provides important perspectives on their impact on everyday life, demonstrating the importance of remaining critical of discourses in projects operating in the peripheries.
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(English below)Esta investigación estudia las características de los comentarios que logran más impacto en un entorno digital. Se emplea una metodología cualitativa que analiza los 50 mensajes con más likes del foro de una noticia, publicada en Marca.com, en la que el jugador del Real Madrid Vinicius Junior denuncia los episodios racistas sufridos en los estadios de fútbol españoles. Se tienen en cuenta las emociones expresadas por los autores, así como las estrategias retóricas y argumentales utilizadas en los comentarios. Se concluye que los mensajes escritos con empatía, aunque estén en contra de la opinión mayoritaria, pueden tener cierto impacto si formulan un argumento dual que reconoce las opiniones contrarias como valiosas en algún punto, incluso sin validarlas. En el análisis de la eficacia de los mensajes se observa que lo distinto se premia, como aportar un dato inesperado de forma inteligente (ironía) o presentar una opinión contraria a lo que se espera por pertenecer a un determinado grupo (afiliación):en este último caso el comentario resulta más auténtico y, por lo tanto, es más impactante. Se demuestra también que la percepción de los mensajes es compleja y que algunos elementos o rasgos que habitualmente se consideran eficaces pueden no serlo. Así sucede con los comentarios breves, que no siempre tienen trascendencia y pueden aparecer como inconsistentes si no incluyen una argumentación. Tampoco la diversidad o la acumulación de argumentos es positiva en cualquier circunstancia: compensa más usar los argumentos por separado para no distraer del objetivo persuasivo. This research examines the characteristics of comments that achieve the greatest impact in a digital environment. A qualitative methodology is used to analyse the 50 most liked messages in the forum discussion prompted by a news article published on the Spanish sports newspaper Marca.com. The article focuses on Real Madrid player Vinicius Junior’s denunciation of racist incidents in Spanish football stadiums. This study considers the emotions expressed by the authors, as well as the rhetorical and argumentative strategies employed in the comments. The findings suggest that messages written with empathy, even when opposing the opinion of the majority, can have a significant impact if they present a dual argument that acknowledges opposing views as valuable in some respects, even without validating them. The analysis reveals that originality is rewarded, such as introducing an unexpected fact in an intelligent manner (e.g., irony) or expressing an opinion contrary to expectations based on group belonging (affiliation). In the latter case, the comment appears more authentic and, therefore, more impactful. The study also demonstrates that the perception of messages is complex, and some elements traditionally considered effective may not always be so. For example, brief comments do not always carry weight and can come across as inconsistent if they lack sufficient argumentation. Similarly, the diversity or accumulation of arguments is not universally positive; it is often more effective to present arguments separately to avoid distracting from the persuasive objective.
