I ett antirasistiskt rum

En språkvetenskaplig analys av vithet och maktrelationer på en antirasistisk och feministisk plattform på Instagram

Abstract

Anti-racism in contemporary Sweden is often manifested in protests against explicit racist expressions and acts. However, anti-racism also concerns the attention to and questioning of structures, prejudices and norms. This approach to anti-racism is often emphasised by those who are themselves victims of racism. One example is MAKTHAVARNA (“the power holders”), an anti-racist platform on the social networking site Instagram. MAKTHAVARNA targets those who are directly affected by racism. White followers of the account are asked not to post comments or contribute to the discussions. From a postcolonial perspective and with linguistic methods, this study examines the interactions on MAKTHAVARNA , where victims of racism share their experiences of white supremacy and where white people interfere in the discussions despite the separatist rules. The analysis shows how norms of whiteness are translated in speech acts made by white followers who ask questions, make judgments and expect information, which results in the (re)production of asymmetric relationships. The position of those affected by racism is formed by the linguistically (re)produced normative white position. However, the hierarchical relationship between these positions is dislocated when the victims of racism reclaim precedence, by for example citing and interpreting white people’s utterances from their own perspectives. Furthermore, the analysis shows how the terms for participation in platform discussions are set up linguistically and technically in the digital social media. Consequently, through this media, a public space and precedence in defining anti-racism are provided for the target audience of MAKTHAVARNA . White followers, on the contrary, cannot participate actively on the platform – not even with good intentions – without linguistically reproducing hierarchical relationships and norms of whiteness.