Migrant Identities in Crisis: A Discourse Analysis of Al Jazeera’s ‘Locked Up in Malaysia’s Lockdown

Abstract

This paper investigates how language is used in online media to frame the crisis surrounding undocumented immigrants in Malaysia amid a global pandemic. A 25-minute Al Jazeera documentary, “Locked Up in Malaysia’s Lockdown”, was examined following Bucholtz and Hall’s (2005) selected principles of positionality, relationality, and indexicality. The findings reveal an intricate link to identity, with the theme of ‘Us vs. Them’ being the common thread that connects to all other discourses surrounding race, class, gender, nationality, and nationalism. The findings contribute to theoretical knowledge and raise awareness of the implications of negative rhetoric against the marginalised in society.