The making of 'Mary Poppins' migrants: analysing German discourse on displaced Ukrainians 2022-23 through fictional film

Building on insights from Migration Studies and International Relations, we investigate constructions of Ukrainians who arrived in Germany due to conflict-induced displacement during the first year of the Russian-Ukraine war. To do so, we analysed reporting on Ukrainian women in two German major weekly news outlets (Der Spiegel and Die Zeit). Here we take a unique approach - drawing on key points of, and illustrative quotes from, that analysis, and reading them alongside the fictional film Mary Poppins. Doing so helps us understand German discourse around displaced Ukrainians. Specifically, our unique reading of refugeehood and deservingness helps us demonstrate how familiar, yet fictional, stories can be deployed to critically interrogate and better understand real-world extraordinary political responses towards refugees. Overall, we suggest that by analysing representations of Ukrainians through this fictional lens, we contribute to denaturalising 'common knowledge' about displaced people often taken for granted in public discourse and public policy.

Automated summary

By analyzing reporting on Ukrainian women in two major German news outlets and using the fictional film Mary Poppins as a lens, this study provides a unique understanding of German discourse around displaced Ukrainians. The findings demonstrate how fictional stories can critically interrogate and shed light on real-world political responses towards refugees. This research contributes to challenging commonly accepted knowledge about displaced people in public discourse and policy-making.