Papers by Stephanie Hanlon
Shifting Sands: Discursive Techniques Adopted by the Immigrant Council of Ireland on Marriages of Convenience, 2021
The so-called 'sham marriage industry' and approaches to marriages of convenience represent a fie... more The so-called 'sham marriage industry' and approaches to marriages of convenience represent a field rich in discursive meanings in politics and public discourse. In Ireland, between 2006 and 2016 policy and legislation in the area was dominated by a metadiscursive negotiation of terminology relating to the exploitation and abuse of women for immigration purposes, the abuse of the Irish immigration system, and marriages of convenience as an attack on the institution of marriage. The term 'marriage of convenience' (MoC) has evolved due to the influence of multiple policy collaborators, and, as a result, the representation of it has been shifting in public and policy discourse. This study sets out to explore this pivot by adopting a critical discourse analysis approach to the normalization of the Immigrant Council of Ireland's (ICI's) policies on MoC. This article poses interlinked questions that will be the focus of this study. How are MoC and the actors involved in MoC represented in terms of efforts to control migration, and what if any, are the implications of this discourse? Specifically, what are the ICI's policy narratives regarding marriages of convenience and the particular strategies that the ICI has devised for redefining and relocating MoC in a different narrative? This paper has found multiple inconsistencies and contradictions in the ICI's positions, with evidence of exclusionary rhetoric and racial discrimination in the NGO's policy on MoC. The meanings and implications of victim and perpetrator continue to shift and change depending on the context and purpose of their articulation, raising clear questions about the 're'presentation and 're'-location of MoC in immigration policy and legislation. More broadly, it calls for a more critical and open debate that reflects the impacts of restrictive policy on persons involved.
Irish Marxist Review, 2019
We have witnessed a number of debates that have sparked controversy within the LGBT+, feminist an... more We have witnessed a number of debates that have sparked controversy within the LGBT+, feminist and socialist movements. The fundamental disagreement between trans advocates and trans exclusionary radical feminists (TERFs) on what being a woman/man means continues to rage on. It is essential to recognise that the roots of Trans oppression lie in the development of a class society. The connection between socialism and LGBT+ rights has a long history. Socialists must defend Trans rights in an era where countries are making attempts to erase Trans life from public consciousness as part of a far right agenda; as seen under the Trump administration. As trans people have sought further recognition, solidarity, and social justice within feminism and socialism, new narratives have arisen that further distinguish exclusionary practices and ideas from those deemed more inclusive. This article is divided into three sections. Section 1 examines the roots of trans oppression and explores the conn...
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Papers by Stephanie Hanlon