Norske elevers konseptualisering av rasismebegrepet

Fredrik Stenhjem Hagen

doi:10.23865/ntpk.v7.2269

Abstract

Based on focus group interviews with pupils in secondary schools, this article is an analysis of how Norwegian pupils conceptualise the concept of racism; how they define the term and which events and actors they describe as racist. The foundation for the study is the idea that there is a range of different definitions of racism, and these different definitions will lead to different ideas about how racism is materialised. The study shows that the dominant features in the pupils’ conceptualisation of racism is the idea that racism is a self-referential term referring only to phenomenon already described as racist, that racism primarily refers to acts against individuals and  that Norway is a post-racial society. This conceptualisation is ill-suited as a tool for critical thinking. As an example of this it is discussed how the pupils in the study did not find it meaningful to describe the terrorist Anders Behring Breivik og “den nordiske motstandsbevegelsen” as racist.

Highlights

Norwegian pupils’ conceptualisation of racism Based on focus group interviews with pupils in secondary schools, this article presents an inquiry on how Norwegian pupils conceptualise the concept of racism
Det er også blitt forsket på elevenes kunnskap og holdninger, blant annet har forskere ved Universitetet i Oslo i forlengelse av den store demokratiundersøkelsen ICCS forsøkt å dokumentere hva elever vet og mener om Holocaust, nazisme og rasisme (Mikkelsen et al, 2010)
I andre tilfeller forklarte de rasisme med uttrykk som «frykt for fremmede» og skepsis til andre kulturer, og mente at begrepet «rase» ikke var en nødvendig forutsetning for å kalle noe rasistisk

Summary

Introduction

Norwegian pupils’ conceptualisation of racism Based on focus group interviews with pupils in secondary schools, this article presents an inquiry on how Norwegian pupils conceptualise the concept of racism. Elevene kan ikke sies å bruke et rent klassisk definert eller et kulturelt definert rasismebegrep: I enkelte tilfeller bruker elevene begrepet «rase» for å forklare hvorfor noe var rasistisk, som i dette eksempelet fra skole C hvor to elever diskuterer hva rasisme er: «Elev 8C: Det er når en rase, er imot en annen rase.

Results

Conclusion