Violent Enactments and Erasures: A Western Capitalist Ontology of Labor in Organizational Rhetoric About Resettled Syrian Refugees

Abstract

With more than half of Syria’s population forced to flee their homes over nearly a decade, the narrative of Syrian refugees has evolved to reflect the realities of their displacement. The purpose of this article is to critique how the rhetoric of organizations meant to serve resettled Syrian refugees can also perpetuate dominant neoliberal and capitalist ideologies that result in harmful discursive practices. More specifically, this essay uses a thematic narrative analysis to examine the manifestation of a Western capitalist ontology of labor in the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) “Stories” of Syrian refugees. The narratives perpetuated the entrepreneurial ideal, individualized systemic labor challenges, and privileged the organization’s intervention and voice. The analysis subsequently juxtaposes how an organization meant to protect and advocate for refugees can be discursively violent through the enactment of Western, colonizing representations and erasures.