Communication Practices in Asylum Seekers Reception Centres: from Information Precarity to Voluntary Return
Communication Practices in Asylum Seekers Reception Centres: from Information Precarity to Voluntary Return

Communication Practices in Asylum Seekers Reception Centres: from Information Precarity to Voluntary Return

Summary/Abstract: This article focuses on the complex communication constructed betweenthe Belgian Federal Agency for the Reception of Asylum Seekers (Fedasil)and asylum seekers: what do they say to asylum seekers? Why and how? Beyond themessage, it is the relation of communication (Wolton, 2018) between receptionauthorities and asylum seekers that is explored through the analysis of communicationduring the reception phase. As a consequence of the communication to asylumseekers’ being hardly visible (Van Neste-Gottignies & Mistiaen, 2018), they arefound to experience “information precarity” (Wall, Otis Campbell & Janbek, 2015).Although the “invisibility” of reception discourses seems to prevail, there is an exception:communication regarding voluntary return programmes. This article aimsspecifically to deeply understand this communicational practice to asylum seekers:what does it contain? Beyond the content: what different forms does it take? Why isFedasil communication on voluntary return to asylums seekers predominant? Theanalysis takes into account the complexity and variety of mediums of communication,from mediated forms of communication to face-to-face interactions. To studypractices, a corpus linguistics analysis is combined with field survey methods in aBelgian asylum seekers reception centre.

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