Remember Lampedusa : a post-structural discourse analysis of European commemoration in the Mediterranean

Abstract

This thesis is investigating how European commemorational practices have been a part of constructing European identity, and is questioning to what degree this is present in European commemorational speeches today. The framework is the commemorational response to the tragic accidents at Europe’s coast, where migrants and refugees have lost their lives in an attempt to reach Europe. Through a post-structural discourse analysis this thesis investigates the speeches that commemorate these lives lost and applies an interdisciplinary approach to understand how a practice of commemoration and remembering is an important political tool for social cohesion and legitimization of group identity