Racializing categorization among young people in Finland

Abstract

This article explores the terms by which racial difference is articulated and constructed in the everyday life of young people in Finland, by analysing interviews with children and adolescents who have one parent with an immigrant or foreign background, or who have been adopted from other countries. In addition to the categories that clearly arise from the discourses of race, expressions that in other contexts may have nothing to do with racism are also sometimes put to use for racializing categorization, especially ethnic labels and colour terms. Even though many categorizations which are used among young Finns can be found in other societies too, the analysis shows differences not only between different societies, but also between children and young people, which highlights the problems in using racial categories as analytical tools. The article also explores the conditions for the construction of racialized identities, by examining how individuals negotiate categories available to them, and how they themselves express their positionings in racialized social relations. The analysis of how these are intertwined is suggested here as a method that can reveal special characteristics of racism in a given society. It also highlights the tensions and contradictions that set bounds for the agency of those who are subordinated in racialized social relations.