Abstract
ABSTRACT Resistance has proven to be a hard concept to define. Debates about resistance in the sociological and sociolinguistic literature cover many aspects: from the degree to which resistance can be seen as related to established social groups (see Rampton 1996), to the level of agentivity and intention that is required for an action to be regarded as resistant, to the type of social behavior that qualifies. Thus, while some see resistance as based on actions, others see it as based on cultural appropriation (Hall & Jefferson 1976). In their comprehensive review of literature on the topic, Hollander & Einwohner (2004) conclude that resistance can be seen as consisting of action and opposition. In this paper, I analyze resistance from the point of view of opposition to ideas, social situations, institutional actions and processes that result or may result in discrimination or stereotyping of specific social groups, as negotiated in the digital sphere by migrant and non-migrant youth belonging to a school-based community. Indeed, it has been argued (Chiluwa 2012, Chibuwe & Ureke 2016) that digital environments constitute ideal arenas for the development of resistance thanks to their wide reach and their ability to mobilize people around common themes. However, much of the research in this area has targeted organized resistance fueled by political or ethnic groups. In this paper I argue that resistance is an emerging process that does not necessarily stem within political contexts or from open choice, but can develop within interactional exchanges focused on everyday life events. Thus, what I am interested in here is in how spontaneous acts and discourses of resistance emerge in the everyday exchanges of a diverse community that was not born around a particular social or political agenda. For this paper, I will examine exchanges that happen on the Facebook page of one of the members of the community. I will show how resistance takes many forms: from irony and jokes to the raising of serious topics, to the dissemination of information and through different discourse genres: from storytelling to the posting of pictures.
Highlights
In this paper I illustrate ways in which young migrants to Italy and their friends resist prejudice and stereotyping against them in mainstream discourses within interactions in a digital environment
As the data from this paper come from a project involving unaccompanied minors asylum (UMAS) seekers in Italy, I will first provide some information on this group
In terms of the way acts of resistance are conveyed in this data, we find that they can be communicated through different kinds of posts in a variety of discursive genres: these include reflections on political events and figures, the advertising of events or initiatives by third parties taken in favor of migrants, ethical position posting and stories, i.e. the reporting of personal experiences
Summary
In this paper I illustrate ways in which young migrants to Italy and their friends resist prejudice and stereotyping against them in mainstream discourses within interactions in a digital environment. I discuss how resistance should not necessarily be seen as something that comes consciously and deliberately from specific social agents, but should be seen as an emerging process that takes place interactively and collaboratively. I will show that acts of resistance may involve different discursive genres and strategies. The article is organized as follows: first I present different ways in which resistance has been defined and conceptualized in social theories and in sociolinguistics and anthropology. I subsequently describe the study and analyze data coming from the Facebook wall of one young migrant to Palermo, Italy. The last section presents a discussion and conclusions
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