“When I think about Shortfield, I think about mosquitos, and neo-Nazis”: Students’ narratives of racism, sexism, and intolerance in rural Swedish schools

Abstract

The aim of this study was to analyse how young people living in geographical areas with a tradition of high neo-Nazi activism talk about racism and sexism, in particular, and the “school climate”, in general. Two schools situated in traditional rural mill towns were selected, and students (of ages 14–16) were interviewed. Influenced by Essed's theory on everyday racism, the study addresses how micro and macro dimensions of racism intersect through the voices of the students, when they talk about their community, their school, and the visible traces or signs of the neo-Nazi movement. The results show a recurrence of everyday racism in the schools, and indicate that the expression of racism was largely taken for granted. Initially in the narratives the students talked about their school and community in terms of inclusion and social connectedness. As the discussions proceeded, quite a few examples of racist practices and verbal racist and sexist harassment were mentioned. Such expressions were often downplayed, such that everyday racism and sexism appeared to have been normalised. This apologetic stance also seemingly contributed to a “return of the repressed”, in the form of overt expressions of neo-Nazi symbols and acts in the school environment.