Racism and xenophobia in immigrants’ discourse: the case of Argentines in Spain

Abstract

This study examines how racist and xenophobic discourses of Spanish elite groups are appropriated and contested in an Internet forum for Argentines in Spain. Specifically, I examine the discursive strategies involved in the identification of the in-group and the out-group (Spanish citizens vs immigrants), the descriptions of the social actors, and the stances adopted by the participants in the forum, three dimensions that have been found to be key in the production of xeno-racist discourses. The results show that this group of forum participants aligns with the racist and anti-racist ideologies articulated in political debates and the mass media in Spain, thus providing evidence of racist and xenophobic discourses working in a top—down fashion. At the same time, however, the analysis offers an example of how the discourses of dominant social groups can be challenged and reformulated to serve the purposes of the subordinate social groups.