Negotiating Citizenship: Mediatized Migration and the Canadian Data Border
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Negotiating Citizenship: Mediatized Migration and the Canadian Data Border by James K.T. Duncan A thesis submitted in conformity with the requirements for the degree of Master of Information Faculty of Information University of Toronto © Copyright by James Duncan 2019 Negotiating Citizenship: Mediatized Migration and the Canadian Data Border James Duncan Master of Information Faculty of Information University of Toronto 2019 Abstract This thesis reflects upon the anomalous rise of irregular migration into Canada near the town of Lacolle, Quebec and the response of the Canadian government in the context of prevalent networked communications. Conceiving of politics as performance, the research engages in a systematic content analysis of Canadian Press and Agence France Press coverage of arrivals through Lacolle to identify an official ‘institutional narrative’. Subsequently, I test this institutional narrative, which privileges the voices of Canadian political elites, establishing my own ‘narrative of encounter’ through analysis of a variety of legislation, policy, and internal documents obtained both publicly and through Canada’s Access to Information System. This produced novel insights regarding how the massive proliferation of networked communication has shaped possibilities for citizenship and authority at the Canadian border in many paradoxical and ironic ways. Keywords: citizenship; irregular migration; media institutions; anticipatory governance; humanitarian securitization ii Acknowledgments This project represents part of my life that has now come to a close. Here I reflect upon the incredible confluence of people that have shaped me and this research. Firstly, I wish to thank my amazing advisory team. My supervisor Nadia Caidi and my second reader Leslie Shade have been incredibly supportive and generous with their time over the past two years. It was my discussions with Leslie in September of 2017 that prompted me to write this thesis in the first place. Since then, she has done a great deal to support the expansion of my skills and knowledge through direct advice and opportunities to engage in research on a range of fascinating topics. Likewise, Nadia has been a driving force behind my growth as a scholar, subtly pushing back when I need to nuance my thinking and simultaneously pushing me forward by extending opportunities to publish and present my work. I have also been fortunate at the University of Toronto to access amazing communities at the Faculty of Information and Massey College, where I found some amazing friends and mentors who shaped the trajectory of this work. At the Faculty of Information, I wish to thank Kenzie Burchell, for his expertise and mentorship regarding the study of press wires, political performance, and methods of content analysis. I also wish to extend sincere gratitude to my friend and fellow MI student, Michael Dockstator for lending me his advice, his eyes, and his experience with the law. This project benefitted greatly from Michael’s superior clarity of mind and aptitude for structured argument. Additionally, Massey College was a significant and influential aspect of my second year at the University of Toronto. Firstly, I thank Sharly Chan for exposing me to the many benefits of community membership. I would also like to thank the wacky and wise Shane Saunderson for lending me his engineering expertise and pragmatic disposition on many occasions. Lastly, I thank Alex Luscombe, whose friendship and guidance have been essential to this project and many future ones. Alex has supported my growth in more ways than I can list or describe through his honest feedback, professional advice, and institutional wisdom. I am proud of my master’s thesis, but I certainly didn’t do it alone. These are just some of the many amazing people that I have had the privilege to work in proximity to over the past two years. I will remember this time with an immense fondness, not for this document but rather the wonderful relationships and learning opportunities it represents. iii Table of Contents Acknowledgments .......................................................................................................................... iii Table of Contents ........................................................................................................................... iv List of Tables .................................................................................................................................. vi List of Appendices ....................................................................................................................... viii Chapter 1 The Global Mediatization of Citizenship and Authority ................................................ 1 1.1 Introduction ......................................................................................................................... 1 Chapter 2 Literature Review and Methodology ............................................................................ 10 2.1 The Institutional Narrative ................................................................................................ 10 2.1.1 Network Governance ............................................................................................ 12 2.1.2 Defining Citizenship ............................................................................................ 15 2.1.3 Networked Mobility ............................................................................................. 20 2.2 Research Design and Methodology ................................................................................... 23 2.2.1 Analyzing Performances of Authority ................................................................. 24 2.2.2 Situating Performative Governmentality ............................................................. 26 2.2.3 Future Opportunities ............................................................................................ 29 Chapter 3 Migration Governance in the Networked Age ............................................................. 32 3.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 32 3.2 Who Speaks in the News? Who is Spoken Of? ................................................................ 33 3.2.1 Understanding Voice and Representation ............................................................ 33 3.3 Dominant Discourses ........................................................................................................ 44 3.3.1 Priming for Pressure ............................................................................................. 46 3.3.2 Setting the Policy Agenda .................................................................................... 52 3.3.3 Humanitarian Securitization ................................................................................. 59 3.3.4 Misinformed Migrants .......................................................................................... 61 3.4 Diplomacy in the Void ...................................................................................................... 63 iv 3.5 Negotiating Mobility ......................................................................................................... 65 3.6 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 67 Chapter 4 Being Processed: Encounters at the Data Border ......................................................... 69 4.1 Introduction ....................................................................................................................... 69 4.2 The Process ....................................................................................................................... 70 4.2.1 Arrest .................................................................................................................... 71 4.2.2 Health Screening .................................................................................................. 72 4.2.3 Background Check ............................................................................................... 72 4.2.4 Biometric Data Collection .................................................................................... 77 4.2.5 Interview ............................................................................................................... 79 4.3 Network Governance and the Institutional Void ............................................................... 81 4.3.1 Mass Surveillance ................................................................................................ 83 4.3.2 Anticipatory Governance ..................................................................................... 84 4.3.3 Civic Stratification ............................................................................................... 88 4.4 Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 90 Chapter 5 Conclusion .................................................................................................................... 92 5.1 Globally Oriented Public Policy for Future Prosperity ..................................................... 92 5.1.1 Enact the Spirit of International Law ................................................................... 93 5.1.2 Algorithmic Accountability .................................................................................