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Title [sv]
Migranters berättelser i asylprocessen - om samkonstruktion och rekontextualisering
Title [en]
Co-construction and recontextualisation of migrants’ narratives in the asylum process
Abstract [en]
In this study, we examine narratives the way they are constructed in the interpreter mediated situation of asylum interviews and the way they are later recontextualized in written form in the Migration Agency’s legal documents. We follow 10–15 adult asylum seekers throughout the asylum seeking process and collect data, in form of audio and video recordings, from the investigation interviews in which they participate. We also collect the decision documents that accompany the interviews and we conduct research interviews with all the actors involved in the process. The applicants in this study come to Sweden from Russian speaking countries. The research focus lies on the co-construction of narratives by the applicant, the case officer, the translator and the legal advisor and the recontextualisation of the narrative from oral to written form. We are additionally interested in understanding how the applicant is positioned in the interview and the accompanying documents and how their identity is thus constructed in this process. Finally, we look for all the involved actors’ attitudes regarding the asylum interview and the generated documentation. The co-construction of narratives is analytically approached through the lens of interactionism, narrative identity and positioning. A special emphasis is given on the role of the interpreter as a mediator in the interaction. We also use the concept of discourses as representations of social actions in order to examine the legal documents produced after the interview and to understand what happens in the process of recontextualisation from oral interaction to written text. Finally, we analyse our research interviews with the help of activity theory as a heuristic model and we look for the involved actors’ goals and mediated actions and how these influence the result of the interview. Aim of this project is to contribute with a deeper understanding of the asylum interview and to lead to an improved and fairer asylum process.
Publications (7 of 7) Show all publications
Nikolaidou, Z., Rehnberg, H. S. & Wadensjö, C. (2023). ‘Do I Have to Say Exactly Word by Word?’ (Re)producing and Negotiating Asymmetrical Relations in Asylum Interviews. Journal of International Migration and Integration, 24, 745-768
Open this publication in new window or tab >>‘Do I Have to Say Exactly Word by Word?’ (Re)producing and Negotiating Asymmetrical Relations in Asylum Interviews
2023 (English)In: Journal of International Migration and Integration, ISSN 1488-3473, E-ISSN 1874-6365, Vol. 24, p. 745-768Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

In this paper, we conduct a critical discourse analytical study of asylum interviews in order to contribute to knowledge and awareness of (a) how asymmetrical power relations are discursively (re)produced as well as manoeuvred and negotiated during the interaction and (b) what this means in terms of positioning of the participants. Focusing on a number of metacommunicative sequences characterised by a notably high degree of interpersonal complexity, we examine how participants are positioned and how positioning is discursively realised. We draw on eight observed and recorded asylum interviews conducted in Sweden 2018–2021. Metacommunicative positioning is analysed mainly with a focus on speech functions and modality. We show that metacommunication is used by all participants largely as a means of constructing an asylum narrative within the framework of an institutional discourse. The participants can position each other in (dis)advantageous ways in their attempts to deny, or sometimes claim, responsibility for miscommunication. The applicants generally obey the metacommunicative instructions given by other, more powerful participants. However, we also show an example of an applicant who makes resistance to the institutional discourse. Furthermore, all participants use metacommunication as a tool to guide each other in the conversation, thereby positioning themselves as responsible for the co-construction of the asylum narrative. Finally, we underline the benefits of conducting critical discourse analysis in the study of asylum interviews, although such studies can barely change the fact that the asylum determination process is unequal and asymmetrical in its core.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Springer, 2023
Keywords
Asylum interviews, Asymmetrical relations, Discourses, Interpersonal relations, Metacommunication, Positioning
National Category
Specific Languages
Research subject
Baltic and East European studies
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:sh:diva-48645 (URN)10.1007/s12134-022-00945-2 (DOI)000773263600002 ()2-s2.0-85127299970 (Scopus ID)
Funder
The Foundation for Baltic and East European Studies, 70/2016
Available from: 2022-03-25 Created: 2022-03-25 Last updated: 2024-01-04Bibliographically approved
Wadensjö, C., Rehnberg, H. S. & Nikolaidou, Z. (2023). Managing a discourse of reporting: the complex composing of an asylum narrative. Multilingua - Journal of Cross-cultural and Interlanguage Communication, 42(2), 191-213
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Managing a discourse of reporting: the complex composing of an asylum narrative
2023 (English)In: Multilingua - Journal of Cross-cultural and Interlanguage Communication, ISSN 0167-8507, E-ISSN 1613-3684, Vol. 42, no 2, p. 191-213Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

The aim of this study is to demonstrate how the presence of an emerging written record may affect the content of an asylum narrative, based on which a decision concerning the asylum claimant's right to receive protection eventually is taken. The lion's share of studies on interpreter-mediated asylum interviews to date focus on risks involved with assigning non-professionals to perform the interpreting. This study draws specifically on a 3.5 min-long sequence taken from an asylum interview involving a professional interpreter, working between Russian and Swedish, and the corresponding paragraph of the Swedish-language written minutes, produced in parallel by the caseworker at a Migration Agency office. The study demonstrates something that hasn't been highlighted much in the literature on asylum interviews, namely the mutual impact of the interpreter-mediated communicative format-the specific turn taking order and the restricted linguistic transparency-and the parallel record keeping; the intricate passage from two spoken languages to an asylum narrative in the form of a text written in one of these languages.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Mouton de Gruyter, 2023
Keywords
asylum interviews, asylum narratives, coordinating talk and text, interpreter-mediated interaction
National Category
General Language Studies and Linguistics International Migration and Ethnic Relations
Research subject
Baltic and East European studies
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:sh:diva-49112 (URN)10.1515/multi-2022-0017 (DOI)000799106600001 ()3374/3.1.1/2016 (Local ID)3374/3.1.1/2016 (Archive number)3374/3.1.1/2016 (OAI)
Funder
The Foundation for Baltic and East European Studies, 70/2016
Available from: 2022-06-02 Created: 2022-06-02 Last updated: 2023-06-13Bibliographically approved
Wadensjö, C., Rehnberg, H. S. & Nikolaidou, Z. (2021). Från tolkad interaktion till enspråkig text – om en asylberättelses framväxt. Paper presented at Språk och rätt i teori och praktik, Linnéuniversitetet 2019. HumaNetten (46), 100-115
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Från tolkad interaktion till enspråkig text – om en asylberättelses framväxt
2021 (Swedish)In: HumaNetten, E-ISSN 1403-2279, no 46, p. 100-115Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [sv]

I ett protokoll fört under en asylintervju återfanns en obegriplig mening som den asylsökande inte kände igen. I denna artikel undersöker vi vad som ledde fram till denna mening. Med sam­talsanalys som teoretisk och metodisk ansats går vi igenom en 3,5 minuter lång sekvens hämtad från den ljudinspelade, tolkade asylintervju där den obegripliga meningen fördes till proto­kollet. Språken som talades var svenska och ryska. Protokollet skrevs på svenska. Under­sök­ningen visar hur flera faktorer och samtliga deltagare i asylintervjun, på olika sätt, styr och for­mar framväxten av den asylberättelse som manifesteras i protokollet.

Generellt för tolkade samtal gäller att tolkens återgivningar av det som sagts på det andra språket möjliggör parternas delade förståelse – samtidigt som de skapar ett icke-konventionellt turtagningsmönster. Specifikt för asylintervjuer är att ett detaljerat protokoll av det som sägs förs, samtidigt som intervjun pågår. Hur det samtidiga protokollskrivandet påverkar turtag­nings­­mönstret har inte undersökts i någon större utsträckning i tidigare forskning.

Artikeln visar på svårigheter som kan uppstå när en institutionell berättelse samkonstrueras när den parallellt dokumenteras i ett protokoll. Kunskap om detta är av vikt för såväl praktiker inom asylprocessen, som för vidare studier av tolkning i offentlig sektor.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Linnéuniversitetet, 2021
Keywords
asyl, tolkning
National Category
Languages and Literature
Research subject
Baltic and East European studies
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:sh:diva-46426 (URN)10.15626/hn.20214607 (DOI)
Conference
Språk och rätt i teori och praktik, Linnéuniversitetet 2019
Funder
The Foundation for Baltic and East European Studies, 70/2016
Available from: 2021-09-16 Created: 2021-09-16 Last updated: 2021-11-05Bibliographically approved
Wadensjö, C., Rehnberg, H. S. & Nikolaidou, Z. (2021). Tolkfunktionen i asylprocessen. Stockholm: Delmi
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Tolkfunktionen i asylprocessen
2021 (Swedish)Report (Other academic)
Abstract [sv]

Asylintervjun är förmodligen den mest kritiska delen inom asylprocessen, och de allra flesta intervjuer sker med hjälp av tolk. När tolkningen inte fungerar är det djupt problematiskt. Det drabbas inte minst den asylsökande och är ett hot mot rättssäkerheten i asylprocessen.

Kunskapsöversikten avser att ge en bild av den forskning som finns om tolkfunktionen i asylprocessen, med särskilt fokus på de intervju- och förhandlingssituationer som förekommer när myndigheter handlägger och beslutar i frågor om asyl, alltså mötet mellan migrationsmyndigheter och asylsökande. Översikten bygger på forskning om tolkning i institutionella miljöer i allmänhet och forskning om tolkning i asylprocessen i synnerhet.

Den mynnar ut i ett antal övergripande slutsatser och rekommendationer, varav den viktigaste är att det finns ett akut behov av att stärka och professionalisera tolkfunktionen i asylprocessen.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Stockholm: Delmi, 2021. p. 110
Series
Kunskapsöversikt ; 2021:4
Keywords
Tolkning, asyl, asylintervjuer, asylprocessen, migration, asylsökande, flykting
National Category
General Language Studies and Linguistics
Research subject
Baltic and East European studies; Baltic and East European studies
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:sh:diva-45427 (URN)9789188021625 (ISBN)
Available from: 2021-05-24 Created: 2021-05-24 Last updated: 2022-04-14Bibliographically approved
Rehnberg, H. S., Nikolaidou, Z. & Wadensjö, C. (2020). Asylintervjuer borde alltid spelas in. Artikel 14 (1), 12-19
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Asylintervjuer borde alltid spelas in
2020 (Swedish)In: Artikel 14, ISSN 1104-1846, no 1, p. 12-19Article in journal (Other (popular science, discussion, etc.)) Published
Abstract [sv]

Vilka hinder, möjligheter och förbättringspotentialer finns när det gäller tolkning i asylprocessen? I denna artikel delar berörda personer med sig av sina erfarenheter. Framför allt kommer asylsökande och offentliga biträden till tals, men även Migrationsverkets handläggare. Artikeln bygger på en intervjustudie.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Flyktinggruppernas Riksråd, 2020
Keywords
Tolkning, asylsökande, asyl, migration, asylprocessen, asylintervjuer
National Category
General Language Studies and Linguistics
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:sh:diva-41661 (URN)
Available from: 2020-08-05 Created: 2020-08-05 Last updated: 2021-03-30Bibliographically approved
Rehnberg, H. S., Wadensjö, C. & Nikolaidou, Z. (2020). Stor skillnad i tolkars kompetens vid asylintervjuer. Artikel 14 (2-4), 28-33
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Stor skillnad i tolkars kompetens vid asylintervjuer
2020 (Swedish)In: Artikel 14, ISSN 1104-1846, no 2-4, p. 28-33Article in journal (Other (popular science, discussion, etc.)) Published
Abstract [sv]

Vilka svårigheter upplever professionella tolkar i asylintervjuer – och vilka är deras strategier för att göra ett så bra arbete som möjligt? I denna artikel delar sex erfarna rättstolkar med sig av sina erfarenheter. Artikeln bygger på en intervjustudie. 

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Flyktinggruppernas riksråd, 2020
National Category
Languages and Literature
Research subject
Baltic and East European studies
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:sh:diva-44047 (URN)
Funder
The Foundation for Baltic and East European Studies
Available from: 2021-02-15 Created: 2021-02-15 Last updated: 2021-03-30Bibliographically approved
Nikolaidou, Z., Rehnberg, H. S. & Wadensjö, C. (2019). Negotiating access with public authorities in research on asylum. London: King's College London
Open this publication in new window or tab >>Negotiating access with public authorities in research on asylum
2019 (English)Report (Other academic)
Abstract [en]

This paper tells the story of obstacles and challenges to fieldwork in a research project exploring migrants’ narratives in the asylum process in Sweden, where, rather than facilitating data collection, the Swedish Migration Authority appeared to create barriers. This had implications both for the project and for individual case workers and interpreters; in the praxis of informed consent, our own strict interpretation became an unnecessary drawback; and in our attempt to overcome the obstacles, we actively involved the national press. The discussion is framed within an overall concern for the role of research in society, and its benefits and risks in relatively closed sectors, raising issues of personal privacy, security and trust.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
London: King's College London, 2019. p. 16
Series
Working papers in urban language and literacies ; 262
Keywords
research ethichs, access, methodology, linguistic ethnography, public authorities, migration research
National Category
General Language Studies and Linguistics
Identifiers
urn:nbn:se:sh:diva-39637 (URN)
Funder
The Foundation for Baltic and East European Studies
Available from: 2019-12-21 Created: 2019-12-21 Last updated: 2022-09-29Bibliographically approved
Co-InvestigatorNikolaidou, Zoe
Co-InvestigatorWadensjö, Cecilia
Principal InvestigatorRehnberg, Hanna Sofia
Coordinating organisation
Södertörn University
Funder
Period
2017-01-01 - 2019-12-31
Keywords [sv]
Östersjö- och Östeuropaforskning
Keywords [en]
Baltic and East European studies
National Category
Specific Languages
Identifiers
DiVA, id: project:1863Project, id: 70/2016_OSS

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