A 'Turn to Language' as a Response to the Shifting Contours of Racist Discourse. Issue 3 (27th May 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Masocha, Shepard
• Is Part Of: Practice. Volume 29:Issue 3(2017)
• Page Start: 159
• Page End: 177
• Publication Date: 2017-05-27
• Subjects: language use -- anti-racism -- discourse -- racism -- culture -- asylum seekers -- critical social work; Social service -- Periodicals; 361.005
• DOI: 10.1080/09503153.2016.1250876
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0950-3153

Abstract

Abstract : Racist discourse has significantly shifted away from the use of overt racial language and has predominantly become a coded and subtle discourse. This article highlights how paying attention the ways in which language is used in its social and cognitive contexts can provide social work with a more robust response to the shifting parameters of racist discourse. It illustrates how using a strand of discourse analysis called discursive psychology can result in an enhanced understanding of the ways in which exclusionary sentiments are couched in contemporary discourses. Drawing on data from a minority of social workers who participated in a wider study that explored the experiences of social workers who were working with asylum seekers in a UK local authority, the article highlights the ways in which exclusionary views can be articulated and legitimated by drawing on culture, instead of race, as a marker of difference. It is suggested that a turn to language can result in significant enhancements to current antiracist frameworks.