Securitization and the discourse on migration in Poland. An analysis of PiS’s discourse on migration in Poland and the EU.

Abstract

The Polish Law and Justice (PiS) party, has been in office since 2015. Within a short time, it introduced several changes that altered Poland’s image at home and abroad. One of the first symptoms of Poland’s systemic change was its apathetic response towards the EU-wide resettlement scheme, following the migration crisis in 2015. Since then, PiS politicians have adopted a discourse that opposes immigration, in contravention of EU values and laws. By examining discourse used by PiS politicians in Poland and among EU- audiences, the thesis attempts to discover how the government explains its migration policies in different environments. The main hypothesis this thesis assumes is that the two discourses vary in the methods used to securitize immigrants, the ways in which a constructivist identity is created, and the use of historical and social myths about Poland. The topic analyzed in this paper is of academic importance as it sheds light on how discourse affects political action, and what role it plays in the international relations between state and organization (Poland and the European Union).