Negotiating crises interpretations: The global rhetorical arena of the 2018 migrant caravan "crisis".

In October 2018, a migrant caravan formed in northern Honduras and grew to approximately 7000 individuals along its journey towards Mexico and the United States, capturing media attention and the label of a global migration "crisis" (Semple, 2018). Expanding upon rhetorical arena theory (Frandsen & Johansen, 2010), this paper challenges the perception of globalized humanitarian issues as inherent crises by critically considering the recursive negotiation of an event as a crisis by multiple publics in a global rhetorical arena. Uncovering intricacies of a Mexican and U.S. national rhetorical arena alongside a counterpublic rhetorical arena, findings underscore that humanitarian events cannot be simplified as assumed crises. Rather the interpretations by various voices in the global rhetorical arena showcase important dynamics of power and complexities of blame in the negotiation of an event as a crisis. Ultimately, this suggests the need for a broader definition of crisis in scholarship that acknowledges its rhetorical construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]