Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Heri Yusup

Date

2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Department

English

Committee Chair

Lyn Wright

Committee Chair

Elliott Casal

Committee Member

Rebecca Adams

Committee Member

Ronald Fuentes

Abstract

Despite the growing body of research on the use of metaphors to discuss personal experiences during complex and challenging situations (such as during the COVID-19 pandemic or related to life-threatening illnesses), metaphor analysis is rarely employed to examine how certain individuals use metaphors to talk about their migration experiences. Extensive studies on metaphorical framing of migration have been conducted. However, private discourse is rarely the subject of these studies. Furthermore, metaphor research incorporating conceptual metaphor theory as its theoretical framework seldom underscores the intersection of metaphorical conceptualization and identity construction. Therefore, this dissertation examines the conceptual metaphors used by individuals with migration experiences to investigate the metaphorical framing of migration and the construction of identities. This study specifically focuses on individuals who have experiences of migration for higher education purposes, including Indonesians currently engaged in graduate studies in the United Kingdom and the United States, as well as those who have returned to Indonesia following the completion of their graduate degrees in the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia (n = 31). This study employs a qualitative research method to analyze metaphors which emerged spontaneously during in-depth semi-structured interviews with the participants. The analysis of these metaphors is systematically organized into three different stages: linguistic metaphor identification, conceptual metaphor delineation, and metaphor explanation. This study revealed that many participants used metaphors foregrounding the spiritual, emotional, ethical, and moral dimensions of migration, using metaphors highlighting divine intervention, institutional and national mission, emotional and mental burden, as well as ethical and moral boundedness. The metaphors effectively frame their migration as higher calling, burden, and bondage. Through the use of these metaphorical framings, the following identities pertinent to the context of migration were constructed for participants in this study: spiritually and morally driven agents, emotionally and mentally resilient navigators, and ethically and morally bound contributors. This study concludes that metaphor serves not only as a cognitive instrument for conceptual mapping but also as a discursive tool for self-portrayal and self-positioning. The above findings can provide Indonesian policy makers with valuable insights in formulating informed decisions pertaining to migration for higher education purposes, particularly in relation to the issue of brain drain.

Comments

Data is provided by the student.

Library Comment

Dissertation or thesis originally submitted to ProQuest.

Notes

Open Access

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