Representation, Power and Agency during the closure of Manus Island - voices beyond the border: is that the subaltern speaking?

Sammanfattning: In examining how refugees at Manus Island’s detention processing centre off the coast of Papua New Guinea were featured in national Australian news media at the time of its closure in late 2017, and in analysing a selected national newspaper: the Guardian Australia’s online articles over that time, distinct categories of representation in relation to if and how, Manus Island refugees speak, were found. A content analysis presents the categories as identified, and examines not only the origin of speech [i.e. the person speaking] but also how refugee narratives are presented, what is spoken, what is heard, and to some extent what is missing in terms of voice and speech. As such this thesis examines speech as part of voice and representation in Australian media, and makes use of similar pre-existing studies on refugee representation in news media and beyond to give insight into whether or not the post-colonial terminology, and subsequent category, of the ‘subaltern’ helps identify what speaks power, voice and agency in these instances of representation. In analysing how refugee voices are enunciated, this study gives insight into what considerations need to made to processes of exclusion, de-humanisation, voicelessness and non-belonging as part of processes for social change. It further identifies and strengthen claims to how different categories of speech and representation lend validity and authority to voices, and also how they may diminish agency through such processes as dehumanisation and victimisation.