The Frame Game: A study of discursive practices used by New Zealand media in discourses about Chinese people

Abstract

A frame repeated becomes a frame strengthened, and then a frame believed. When we are confronted with the same knowledge frequently, the way that we assign meaning to that knowledge becomes habitual. When a discourse includes that knowledge, we are then able to understand it in relation to how we’ve assigned meaning. Much like the illusory truth effect, frames that are repeated in a discourse will slowly become accepted into an individual’s construction of reality. This is how discourses of discrimination become normalised in society. The knowledge is repeated, becomes strong, and is then accepted as reality. This thesis addresses the knowledges that have informed dominant discourses about China and Chinese people. It will consider the impact of the international relationship between China and New Zealand, addressing concerns of identity, security, and the economy. Then historical analyses of Chinese settlers in New Zealand, Australia and the United States will be conducted to better understand the historical context for contemporary discourses about Chinese people in New Zealand. Then a discourse-historical analysis of prominent media distributors will address the way that contemporary discourses have either evolved or perpetuated discrimination towards the Chinese in New Zealand. Discriminatory discourses about Chinese people have become an apparent norm in New Zealand public discourse. Information about China and Chinese people is shared frequently in New Zealand media, and the practices used to frame that information influences the way that the public then perceives China and Chinese people. Media contributions to public discourse offer reference points from which the public can gain knowledge, but if media privileges a dominant cultural framing of information it becomes difficult to recognise and challenge discursive practices of discrimination.