Beyond the binary in refugee othering: law and justice (PiS)-led government’s discursive constructions of Middle Eastern and Ukrainian refugees in Poland

Abstract

Over the past decade, the European Union has faced two major war-induced refugee movements: the 2015– 2016 influx from Syria, Afghanistan, and Iraq, and the mass displacement of Ukrainians following Russia’s full invasion in 2022. Despite the comparable humanitarian nature of these movements, the Polish Law and Justice/ Prawo i Sprawiedliwość (PiS)–led government adopted sharply divergent responses: rejecting Middle Eastern refugees while welcoming over one million Ukrainians under the Temporary Protection Directive. This thesis examines how these contrasting stances were discursively constructed between 2015 and 2023, focusing on how refugee “Others” were represented in relation to Polish national identity. Drawing on Bahar Rumelili’s dual conception of securitisation (ontological and physical) and integrating biopolitical and ontological perspectives, the study develops the concepts of the “Ontological Security Other” and the “Biopolitical Other” to analyse the symbolic boundaries and hierarchies embedded in PiS narratives. Using qualitative discourse analysis of 38 official speeches, statements, and interviews, the findings reveal that while Ukrainians were initially portrayed as fraternal “Our Others”, this framing eroded over time amid economic strain and bilateral tensions. Conversely, Middle Eastern refugees were consistently depicted as culturally incompatible “Muslim Others” and burdens imposed by the EU. Yet, portrayals of vulnerable subgroups (women, children, elderly) across both cases show moments of humanitarian inclusion that complicate a strict binary. By tracing the fluidity and contradictions in these narratives, the thesis contributes to scholarship on Othering, identity politics, and refugee governance, highlighting how state self-conceptions are negotiated through differentiated refugee reception. Keywords: Law