Countering xenophobic narratives towards the Rohingya refugees amid the covid-19 pandemic : a critical discourse analysis

Abstract

The worsening case of xenophobic online narratives has tarnished the image of Malaysians as a helpful society towards one of the most persecuted groups, the Rohingya refugees, during the pandemic. The issue of online narratives started after events related to the Rohingya refugees surfaced during the implementation of the Movement Control Order (MCO). The discourse of xenophobia towards refugees, as well as their portrayals in media has long been discussed in the research; however, the discourse of counter xenophobia was little being discussed in the Critical Discourse Studies (CDS). This research will analyse articles from the local op-ed pages to study Rohingya refugees’ representation and the construction and negotiation of the discourse of xenophobia against Rohingya refugees under the Discourse-Historical Approach (DHA).