Discourse Of Denial Research Articles

Discourse of denial: moral disengagement and the racist subtext of state takeover of an urban school district

Discourse of denial: moral disengagement and the racist subtext of state takeover of an urban school district

Evolutions in hegemonic discourses of climate change: An ecomodern enactment of implicatory denial

We analyze public media talk that illustrate Norgaard’s spectrum of climate denial discourse. While these are theorized by Norgaard, our analysis of specific instances of media talk examines how speakers enact this spectrum of discourses to justify delay of immediate action on climate change. The analysis suggests there is an evolving public talk on climate where overt denial of climate science is increasingly seen at the political extreme and the more mainstream discourse, described here as an ecomodern discourse, appears aligned with climate science but delays the necessary immediate action to address climate change by among other things using fearful scenarios to argue against disrupting the status quo and appealing to technology to solve climate change.

Comfort in chaos: A sensory account of climate change denial

This paper argues that sensory practices that insulate individual bodies from the effects of climate disruption may enable and perpetuate a distinct form of climate change denial. Existing scholarship has established the ways in which climate-modifying technologies, such as air conditioning, reconfigure socio-ecological relationships through sensory norms. This paper extends this analysis by relating these sensory norms to contemporary discourses on climate denial. Drawing on a heatwave case study in Western Sydney, Australia, the paper explores how practices of thermal comfort for particular, often privileged, bodies may be understood as sensory enablers of climate change denial. This work encourages theoretical movement beyond the scientific and political disembodiment that often characterises contemporary climate change denial discourse, and urges greater attention to the sensory drivers of climate-related behaviours, experiences, and perceptions. This sensory approach may allow theoretical and strategic engagement with otherwise hidden social barriers to sustainable climate interventions and action.

Community Resistance to Online Learning Policies During Covid-19 Pandemic in Education

The online learning policy, which is believed to be the only way out of overcoming learning and accelerating the end of the transmission of the Covid-19 virus, has been widely rejected. In Indonesia, various community groups do not support and even protest the implementation of online learning. This paper aims to analyze the forms and factors of community resistance to online learning policies. This study uses a qualitative descriptive technique. The discourse of denial in online news forms the basis for the findings of this study. Data collection was done by interview and observation. Informants in this study were parents, teachers, and students. The data obtained were analyzed using the stages of data reduction, data presentation, and drawing conclusions and verification. The results showed that the refusal was based on the inhibited state-people communication and the readiness to face online learning that was not maximized. People are not involved in every stage of the policy and tend to be required to comply with their capabilities and limitations, both in implementation and in supporting learning facilities and infrastructure. This rejection was caused by structural factors rooted in the tension in the relationship between the people and the state. So it is necessary to build cultural communication to eliminate psychological tension between the people and the state. The open nature of both parties will be a reinforcement in solving various problems and have a positive impact on the order of people's.

Skinned Alive: Sketching the Postwar French Jew in Jean-Michel Goldberg's Écorché juif

Written by Michel Cojot (a.k.a. Cojot-Goldberg), a hidden child, son of a deportee, would-be Nazi killer, and hostage during the 1976 Entebbe hijacking crisis, Écorché juif (1980) presents a post-Holocaust cautionary tale and a micro-historic guide to the second half of the twentieth century. It documents the twisting double binds of French Jews in the postwar period, the rise of modern terror, and new antisemitism. By the end of the 1970s, the progressive writing-into-history of French responsibility in the persecution of its Jews (in the works of Goldman, Modiano, Schwarz-Bart, and Joffo, among others) also coincided with new discourses of denial, and this at a time when the place of Jews in France was again being questioned, now more literally, in relation to the existence of Israel. This essay will show how the text's parodic inventory of French Jewish and national memory in films, books, and institutions simultaneously archives critical turning points in the postwar and postcolonial histories and literatures of France and French Jews.

Racism plays a disappearing act: discourses of denial in one anti-discrimination campaign in higher education

ABSTRACT This article responds to a university’s anti-discrimination campaign, ostensibly launched to combat racism. Taking up poststructural principles and anchored in anti-racism literature, we employ a discourse analysis to examine the truth productions about racism circulated by the campaign, and the subject positions to which they give rise. We analyse the consequences and possibilities for anti-racist action in the light of our argument that the campaign produced the university as an always already anti-racist space, becoming a means to an end to meaningful action. Through themes of belonging, denial, innocence, colour-blindness, and erasure, we demonstrate that the messaging of the campaign aligns with national narratives about Canadian society as free of racial inequity. We bring readers to consider how an anti-discrimination campaign effectively delegitimised the need for anti-racist action, imploring future initiatives to guard against re-inscribing the very forms of inequality they purport to disrupt.

“Isn’t That a Girl Problem?”

Revisions to Health and Physical Education (HPE) curriculums across Canada have prompted a conservative response denouncing the explicit and robust language used to address sexualities and young bodies. In this paper, we question the (in)visibility of male bodies and a prevailing discourse of denial, while situating the discussion alongside an evolving Canadian curriculum. Drawing on a national study, we examine narratives of adolescent boys to demonstrate how they make sense of locker-room interactions and bodily negotiations among their male peers. We introduce a discourse of denial to illustrate the ways in which adolescent male bodies and body image issues specifically have been misunderstood as a “girl problem” in schools. We argue that a limiting narrative of male bodies ignores the marginalization of boys facing shaming and homophobia in schools. We conclude by calling for a (re)consideration of male bodily practices while proposing changes that would more fully acknowledge adolescent male bodies in schools.

‘I will never concede’: Donald Trump’s discourse of denial on Twitter (Nov. 4th 2020 – Jan. 8

Cet article se concentre sur la communication de Donald Trump sur Twitter pendant ses derniers mois au pouvoir. Il s’intéresse d’un point de vue linguistique et rhétorique au déni de défaite du président jusqu’au tout dernier jour de sa présidence. Extrait de Trump Twitter Archive, le corpus est constitué des Tweets envoyés par le président depuis le 4 novembre 2020 (le lendemain de l’annonce des résultats) jusqu’à la suspension de son compte, le 8 janvier 2021. L’auteure étudie le style de Trump dans ces derniers mois pour en établir les continuités et les ruptures et met en lumière comment, à travers une utilisation spécifique de la négation, Trump est parvenu à maintenir la croyance en sa victoire. Elle détaille également l’utilisation stratégique que fait Trump des pronoms personnels et de l’adresse (in)directe afin d’intimider les « weak Republicans ». A travers ce que S. Sorlin appelle une « rhétorique de l’iceberg » ne mettant en exergue que quelques preuves de la victoire tout en prétendant qu’il en existe d’innombrables, l’article montre comment Trump, à la force des répétitions résonnant dans la chambre d’écho de la sphère Twitter, parvient à attiser la frustration de ses fans et à les inciter à envahir le Capitole le 6 janvier 2021.

Beyond the discourse of denial: The reproduction of fossil fuel hegemony in Australia

Despite growing public concern over the worsening climate crisis, tangible action to reduce carbon emissions and limit fossil fuel use remains limited. This is particularly apparent in carbon-rich nations which promote the extraction, export and use of coal, oil and gas as key drivers of economic activity. We examine this contradiction between growing public demands for climate action and the continued dominance of fossil energy in Australia, now the world’s largest exporter of coal and gas. Through a qualitative analysis of media coverage and industry public relations during the period 2008–2019, we show how the fossil fuel hegemony has been maintained and extended in the face of growing social and political critique. We identify the key discourses that the Australian fossil fuel sector has employed in reproducing hegemony and delaying action on climate change. This extends previous theorisations of moral and intellectual leadership by detailing how the fossil fuel sector embeds particular technical claims into the climate change debate. Second, we expand knowledge of political strategy to show how corporate discourses aimed at maintaining hegemony are extended through the state as an ideological promoter.

Lynching: Violence, Rhetoric, and American Identity

Lynching: Violence, Rhetoric, and American Identity

Large-scale environmental policy change: analysis of the Brazilian reality

Abstract The Brazilian presidential elections of 2018 brought large-scale changes in the Brazilian environmental policy subsystem. The purpose of this article is to analyze these changes through the lenses of the Advocacy Coalition Framework - ACF. First, we introduced some of the main characteristics of this subsystem, then we presented a hemerographic analysis to describe and analyze the effects of four recent shocks in this subsystem. Two of these shocks were external: (i) the election of a new political elite in power that brought a clear discourse of denial of the relevance of environmental policy and (ii) calamitous environmental events that occurred in Brazil in 2019. The other two shocks were internal: (i) the capture of key positions and resources by dominant coalition members and (ii) the rise of conflict and polarization among the coalitions in the subsystem. The results showed: (i) the rise of a hyper-adversarial environmental policy subsystem; (ii) a realignment between non-dominant coalitions in a cooperative direction; (iii) the imposition of clear barriers to negotiation; (iv) changes in the use of scientific information by more politicized discourses with a high degree of bias. The article contributes to the understanding of the processes of institutional change in environmental policy, especially in contexts of large-scale change generated by increasing electoral polarization and fierce political disputes. It also contributes to the analysis of the limits and possibilities of the ACF in the Brazilian environmental agenda.

Large-scale environmental policy change: analysis of the Brazilian reality

Abstract The Brazilian presidential elections of 2018 brought large-scale changes in the Brazilian environmental policy subsystem. The purpose of this article is to analyze these changes through the lenses of the Advocacy Coalition Framework - ACF. First, we introduced some of the main characteristics of this subsystem, then we presented a hemerographic analysis to describe and analyze the effects of four recent shocks in this subsystem. Two of these shocks were external: (i) the election of a new political elite in power that brought a clear discourse of denial of the relevance of environmental policy and (ii) calamitous environmental events that occurred in Brazil in 2019. The other two shocks were internal: (i) the capture of key positions and resources by dominant coalition members and (ii) the rise of conflict and polarization among the coalitions in the subsystem. The results showed: (i) the rise of a hyper-adversarial environmental policy subsystem; (ii) a realignment between non-dominant coalitions in a cooperative direction; (iii) the imposition of clear barriers to negotiation; (iv) changes in the use of scientific information by more politicized discourses with a high degree of bias. The article contributes to the understanding of the processes of institutional change in environmental policy, especially in contexts of large-scale change generated by increasing electoral polarization and fierce political disputes. It also contributes to the analysis of the limits and possibilities of the ACF in the Brazilian environmental agenda.

"Involved in something (involucrado en algo)": Denial and stigmatization in Mexico's "war on drugs".

This article responds empirically to the question posed by Stan Cohen about “why, when faced by knowledge of others’ suffering and pain—particularly the suffering and pain resulting from what are called ‘human rights violations’—does ‘reaction’ so often take the form of denial, avoidance, passivity, indifference, rationalisation or collusion?”. Our context is Mexico's “war on drugs.” Since 2006 this “war” has claimed the lives of around 240,000 Mexican citizens and disappeared around 60,000 others. Perpetrators include organized criminal gangs and state security services. Violence is pervasive and widely reported. Most people are at risk. Our study is based on qualitative interviews and focus groups involving 68 “ordinary Mexicans” living in five different Mexican cities which have varying levels of violence. It investigates participant proximity to the victims and the psychological defense mechanisms they deploy to cope with proximity to the violence. We found that 62 of our participants knew, directly or indirectly, one or more people who had been affected. We also found one dominant rationalization (defense mechanism) for the violence: that the victims were “involved in something” (drugs or organized crime) and therefore “deserved their fate.” This echoes prevailing state discourses about the violence. We argue that the discourse of “involved” is a discourse of denial that plays three prominent roles in a highly violent society in which almost no-one is immune: it masks state violence, stigmatizes the victims, and sanctions bystander passivity. As such, we show how official and individual denial converge, live, and reproduce, and play a powerful role in the perpetuation of violence.

La argumentación denegativa del yo. El discurso de perfil en aplicaciones para encuentros íntimos

<p>Como es sabido, <em>Tinder </em>y <em>Grindr </em>son <em>apps </em>cuya función principal consiste en propiciar el encuentro íntimo entre sujetos sexuales. Este trabajo se dedica a observar el funcionamiento argumentativo, polifónico y dialógico de un tipo de operación discursiva específica empleada para la presentación del <em>yo </em>en estos dispositivos discursivos: la denegación. Munido de categorías analíticas proceden­tes de la teoría de los discursos sociales (Verón, 1997; Tra­versa, 2014), del enfoque dialógico de la argumentación, de la polifonía (EDAP) (García Negroni, 2016; García Negroni & Libenson, 2014; 2016), de la teoría polifónico-argumentativa (Ducrot, 1984) y de la teoría de los blo­ques semánticos (Carel & Ducrot, 2005), en este trabajo se caracterizan las configuraciones dialógico-argumen­tativas que adopta el discurso denegativo en función de la relación de alteridad que se instala en la presentación del <em>yo</em>. Se concluye que la denegación habilita, o bien una lectura descriptiva del <em>yo </em>a partir de distintos tipos de res­puestas dialógicas de rechazo que el enunciado negativo manifiesta hacia discursos argumentativos doxales este­reotipados atribuidos a la voz del <em>Se</em>, o bien una lectura requisitaria que surge por la restricción metadiscursiva que establecen los enunciados negativos con relación a potenciales discursos futuros del otro.</p>

Dutch tolerance of torture? CIA extraordinary rendition flights in the Netherlands

This article explores the (passive) role of the Dutch government in the CIA extraordinary rendition flights (ERFs), also known as “torture flights”. It shows why researching ERFs, as a crime of the powerful, is inherently problematic. Afterward, a concise overview follows of European involvement in ERFs and reluctance to investigate them. The article then considers the (known) facts and legal responsibility of the Netherlands regarding the ERFs, concluding with a discussion of the Dutch political discourse of denial of ERF involvement. The main argument is that the discourse of ERF denial fits and reflects the colonial present in which the Dutch government resides, concealing its darkest pages in history while hiding behind its contemporary (political) culture of tolerance and progressiveness.

Human rights disasters, corporate accountability and the state

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to examine the state-business nexus in responses to human rights violations in businesses and questions the efficacy of the UN guiding principles on human rights in businesses, in particular in the ready-made garments (RMG) industry in Bangladesh. Drawing on Cohen’s notion of “denial” and Black’s (2008) legitimacy and accountability relationships of state and non-state actors, the study seeks to explain why such “soft” global regulations remain inadequate. Design/methodology/approach – The empirical work for this paper is based on the authors’ participation in two multiple-stakeholder advisory consultation meetings for the RMG sector in Bangladesh and 11 follow-up interviews. This is supplemented by documentary evidence on human rights disasters, responses of the state and non-state actors and human rights reports published in national and international newspapers. Findings – The paper provides clear evidence that the state-business nexus perpetuates human rights disasters. The study also shows that the Bangladeshi state, ruled by family-led political parties, is more inclined to protect businesses that cause human rights disasters than to ensure human rights in businesses. The economic conditions of the RMG industry and accountability and legitimacy relationships between state and non-state actors have provided the necessary background for RMG owners to continue to violate the safety and security of the workplace and maintain inhumane working conditions. Research limitations/implications – Complex state politics, including family, kinship and wealthy supporters, and economic circumstances have serious implications for the efficacy of the UN guiding principle on human rights for business. This paper calls for broader political and economic changes, nationally and internationally. Originality/value – The study highlights the perpetuation of corporate human rights abuses by the state-business nexus, and indicates that human rights issues continue to be ignored through a discourse of denial. This is explained in terms of legitimacy and accountability relationships between state and non-state actors, bounded by complex political and economic conditions.

Denial Through Silence… (Africa Faced with the Genocide of the Tutsi)

ABSTRACTThis article analyzes the discourses of denial about the genocide against Tutsi in Rwanda. First, it focuses on what we can call a “French denial,” represented by the writings of the journalists Pierre Péan and Stephen Smith and of the social scientists Claudine Vidal, André Guichaoua, and Filip Reyntjens, a Belgian scholar, and by the inquiry of the anti-terrorist judge Jean-Louis Bruguière. Secondly, this article mentions the African intellectuals who have accepted those lines openly or tacitly. If they had studied precisely the events that occurred in Rwanda, they could have countered western denial about the genocide against the Tutsi. Taking the example of an association in Senegal, the author shows that the time for acceptance based on precise study has not yet come.

The denial of racism in Latina/o students’ narratives about discrimination in the classroom

This study examines how Latina/o students perceive and frame experiences of prejudice against them in the classroom through narratives told in informal interviews in Spanish. This project started as an inquiry about these students’ general perceptions and experiences in their Advanced Spanish-language classes and how these compared to their experiences in other classes on campus. Narratives are essential to understanding how speakers perceive and evaluate the experiences narrated and how they position themselves in relation to their group as well as to outsiders. The results show that, in most cases, when recounting narratives of discrimination or situations that can be considered instances of prejudice, students were hesitant to recognize that they were the subjects of discrimination or to qualify the story as an occurrence of racism. Different strategies were used to avoid this recognition, including assigning others the role of recognizing the situation as discriminatory and also using narrative evaluations or introductions to justify or mitigate the reasons that motivated these incidents. Discourses of prejudice and racism denial have been broadly documented, yet most studies focus on those who deny being racist themselves or being part of a racist group. This study shows how the underrepresented group might incorporate these discourses of denial and also how their discourses support or, at least, do not challenge the ideologies of majority groups about race, language, and immigration.

What (else) can a kiss do? Theorizing the power plays in young children’s sexual cultures

This article draws on school-based ethnographic research in two elementary schools (in South Wales, UK and north Finland) to explore the ‘ordinary affects’ (Stewart, 2007) of gendered/sexual power in young children's (aged 5–6) negotiation of their own and others’ bodies in playground and classroom spaces. We apply queer and feminist appropriations of Deleuze and Guattari’s key concepts of ‘assemblage’, ‘becomings’ and ‘territorialisations’, not to pin down what a kiss is, but to explore the kiss as always more than itself, and thus what (else) a kiss can do. To explore the affective journey of the kiss as an always-relational social-material event, we sketch a range of kissing assemblages across four vignettes – ‘the kissing hut’, ‘the classroom kiss’, ‘the kissing line’ and ‘the dinosaur kiss’ – mapping the enabling or restriction of a range of gendered and sexual becomings. Each vignette foregrounds the complex, contradictory nature of children’s gendered and sexual cultures which we argue are vital to map in a socio-political terrain where discourses of denial, silence and (over)protection dominate accounts of how young children are doing, being and becoming ‘sexual’.

Denial of racism and its implications for local action

Literature on modern racism identifies denial as one of its key features. This article examines the discourses of denial that feature in the talk of local anti-racism actors in Australia, and asks what drives these discourses. The research draws on qualitative interviews undertaken with participants involved in local anti-racism in two case study areas, one in South Australia and the other in New South Wales. This article explores the way local participants in the case study areas deployed four discourses to deny or minimise racism: temporal deflections; spatial deflections; deflections from the mainstream; and absence discourses. Place defending and the desire to protect one’s local area from being branded a racist space is discussed as a driver of those local denial discourses. Local denial of racism is also linked to national politics of racism and anti-racism. In particular, the Australian government’s retreat from multiculturalism, and the preference for ‘harmony’ rather than ‘anti-racism’ initiatives, was linked to the avoidance of the language of racism within participants’ responses. The way denial discourses narrow the range of possibilities for local anti-racism is discussed, as is the importance of acknowledgement of racism, particularly institutional and systemic racism. Public acknowledgement of these forms of racism will broaden the scope of local anti-racism.