東南亞籍外籍勞工自 1989 年以來,逐年快速成長,至今已經超過 70 萬 人,成為臺灣高度倚賴的勞動人力。矛盾的是,他們也是最脆弱的團體,長 期以來被視為是「他者中的他者」、受到高度歧視。過去研究關注到大眾媒 體扮演著他者化的機制,將外籍勞工再現為他者,建構其劣勢處境。然而本 文認為,既有的相關研究觀點大多忽略社會結構變化的可能性,因此也忽略 了主流媒體的角色會在不同社會條件下發生功能轉變的可能性。近年來諸多 友善運動,諸如以移工取代外勞的正名運動,在這個過程主流媒體所扮演的 角色和社會意義為何 ? 尚欠缺實證研究的解釋。因此本研究提出的研究問題 是:從外勞到移工、從污名到正名,外勞的媒體再現發生了什麼變化 ? 本研 究將分析 1989 年到 2018 年外籍勞工在臺灣主流報紙的報導,藉此批判地反 思新聞媒體所扮演的角色,是否因應不同社會條件而發生改變。在結論中, 本文將討論臺灣的主流新聞媒體是否能成為一種包容外來者的公共領域。

關鍵詞:外勞、移工、正名政治、再現政治、東南亞 

 There were many studies in the past have pointed out that mainstream news discourse has a high influence on living conditions of foreign workers in the host society. These studies analyze the media representations of foreign workers, and point out that the mass media basically plays a mechanism of othering. The research question raised in this study is: from foreign workers to migrant workers, from stigma (Wailao) to name rectification (Yigong), how does media representations of foreign workers change? This study will analyze the news discourses of foreign workers in Taiwanese mainstream newspapers from 1989 to 2018, and critically reflect on the role of the news media, whether it changes in response to different social conditions. In conclusion, this article will discuss whether mainstream media in Taiwan can become a public sphere that accommodates outsiders.

Keywords: foreign worker, migrant worker, name rectification, politics of representations, Southeast Asia