Embodied Translation: Dominant Discourse and Communication with Migrant Bodies-as-Text

Abstract

This article argues that intercultural communication scholars have unique contributions to offer discussions of migrant subject positions and subjectivity by focusing on communicative interactions between people. Specifically, the author proposes a theoretical framework for understanding how migrant bodies are translated in embodied contexts through dominant discursive meanings. The author argues that using a framework that demonstrates translations of foreign bodies-as-texts by actors who represent and enact the dominant discourse on immigration, such as law enforcement officials, provides a way to unpack the manner in which communication happens. Moreover, dissecting this embodied engagement also provides new ways to think about migrants that challenge dominant discursive constructions.