The Desecuritisation of Immigration in Scotland: An Analysis of Discourse and Practice

Abstract

By applying Lene Hansen's theoretical framework for desecuritisation to a joint analysis of Scottish discourse and practice, this research aims to address why more welcoming attitudes towards immigration exist in Scotland than in the rest of the United Kingdom. A discourse analysis of key speeches and publications demonstrates a move by Scottish elites to desecuritise immigration by both rearticulating it as positive socio-economic phenomenon and by positioning immigrants as allies in the struggle for prosperity in the face of a repressive Westminster establishment. A subsequent analysis of Scottish governmentality and practice demonstrates how a unique approach to integration undermines securitarian UK policy by prioritising multiculturalism and encouraging positive agency on behalf of refugees and asylum seekers. By discussing the different influences on desecuritisation as highlighted uniquely by these two analyses, this research posits important theoretical considerations about desecuritisation and the approaches of the Copenhagen and Paris Schools of security studies. Furthermore, based on links to be made between immigration framing and recent major political developments nationally and internationally, this paper addresses the potential impact that desecuritisation may have for the political futures of Scotland and the UK.