(Nanny) State as family by proxy: Media discourses on refugee and asylum-seeking children in Norway

Abstract

In this article, we extend the boundaries of research on family language policy (FLP) by addressing the situation that occurs when the State takes over the care of unaccompanied minor refugees and asylum-seekers, thereby assuming by proxy the responsibilities normally assigned to families. We analyse media discourses involving unaccompanied minors (UMs) in Norway, a Scandinavian country perceived as having liberal policies, in a corpus of 30 articles published between 2016 and 2017, a significant period of immigration in a European context. Our analysis reveals a polarized debate around these children, often termed anchor children, who allegedly aim for future biological family reunification. Assuming the family role as proxy, Norway is referred to as a Nanny State, making decisions for the UMs regarding their well-being, education and language learning. Engaging with recent calls for decolonizing and southernizing critical discourse studies (CDS), we anchor our analysis onto decoloniality. We argue that this epistemological move allows us to identify opposing understandings of culture undergirding two competing sides in debates about UMs in Norway. The study has both theoretical and methodological implications for future conceptualizations of the family in FLP research.