Let them speak on their own terms: Role of meta-narration in reconstructing the perception of Rohingya refugee crisis

This study explores how the Rohingya diaspora utilizes digital media to reshape global narratives about their crisis, specifically through self-representation on Rohingya-operated YouTube channels such as Rohingya Vision and The Arakan Times. Drawing on concepts of meta-narration and related intercultural conceptual frameworks, this research examines how these refugee-led platforms construct alternative accounts that challenge dominant media portrayals, moving from representations of Rohingya as threats to framing them as victims and political actors. Through qualitative textual analysis of 26 news videos between 2017 and 2025, the study identifies key thematic shifts that highlight the emergence of transnational solidarity, political agency, and digital activism among displaced populations. The findings demonstrate that Rohingya digital media producers strategically shift dominant crisis narratives – from securitized representations of “threat” to claims of victimhood, political agency, and transnational advocacy – thereby reconfiguring global perceptions of the refugee crisis and expanding the role of refugee-led media in shaping humanitarian and political discourse.