A construção discursiva do sujeito migrante venezuelano no ciberjornal Dourados News: a dinâmica de retomadas anafóricas na textualidade de matérias publicadas (2019–2021)

Abstract

This study sought to investigate discursive positions materialized in textual constructions of Dourados News, an online newspaper with wide circulation in the Greater Dourados region, which frame Venezuelan migrants – whether refugees or not. The linguistic issue at hand, anchored in hybrid Applied Linguistics (AL) and based on Moita Lopes (1994, 2006, 2009) in interface with Textual Linguistics (TL), under the theoretical postulates of Koch (2003a, 2003b, 2004a and 2004b) and Koch; Travaglia (2002), focuses on analyzing the dynamics between anaphoric chains, specifically in the processes of referent retrieval and the construction of discourse objects identified in news articles from this media outlet. The thematic focus falls on the articulation of discursivity linked to migrant characters, constructed sometimes collectively, sometimes individually, in the multimodality of the texts. The time frame covered the three-year period from 2019 to 2021, marked by the increase in the flow of Venezuelan migrants to the municipality of Dourados/MS. In this context, the digital environment of Dourados News provided the dataset consisting of 26 articles – news pieces and reports – in which these individuals are represented. From the quantitative scope, the research proceeded with a qualitative analysis of 4 (four) articles, which make up the selected corpus based on criteria that prioritize form, not just content. Through this sampling, the discursive intentions were identified that, once disseminated within the host community, can trigger reactions ranging from silencing to the generation of xenophobic discursive waves – with particular attention to the data from comments. The research focused on the negotiation of meanings, permeated by references that recall the Venezuelan characters within the structure of anaphoric chains present in the subjects. By promoting a more detailed understanding of these language constructions, one can infer how the analyzed textualities mediate interactions and influence local interculturality.