Queer Asiel en Colonialiteit in Nederland : een Kritische Discourse Analyse van de Sociale Exclusie van Queer Asielzoekers in Overheidsdocumenten en Publieke Discourse.
Year: 2026
Type: dissertation
Abstract: In this thesis, I aim to explore the social exclusion of queer asylum seekers through the credibility assessment process in the Netherlands. The objectives of the thesis are 1) to investigate how the Dutch Immigration and Naturalisation Service (IND) uses narratives of coloniality in their credibility assessment of queer asylum seekers, 2) investigate the way coloniality figures in the public discourse around the process, and 3) to examine how these issues can lead to the social exclusion (or inclusion) of queer asylum seekers in the Netherlands. The thesis will answer the following research question: “How does coloniality manifest in the credibility assessment of queer asylum seekers in the Netherlands and in the public discourse surrounding this process, and how does this affect inclusion or exclusion of these subjects?” and will use theories of social exclusion and coloniality. Working instruction document WI2019/17 (which guides asylum authorities in the Netherlands) and three news articles which illustrate the public discourse around the credibility assessment process of queer asylum seekers will be analysed, with the use of a critical discourse analysis. The results of this study will be presented in a 3-part blogs series. The colonial power relations between IND and queer asylum seekers manifest in the terms used in the working instruction document, the vulnerable position queer asylum seekers are put in, the specific criteria for the assessment of queerness and the way IND’s knowledge is valued over queer asylum seekers’ lived experiences. The public discourse around the credibility assessment process underplays queer asylum seekers’ ability to resist the system, in which NGOs play an important role. Colonial power relations between the IND and applicant thus leads to the social exclusion of queer asylum seekers from (emotional) safety during and after the assessment process, privacy, perhaps residence in the Netherlands and the freedom to express their queerness in the way they want.
Source: Doria (University of Helsinki)
Author: Staartjes, Iris Fabiënne
Institution: Åbo Akademi University
Language: English
Subfield: Sociology and Political Science
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7164977411