"They should stay in the neighboring regions where their culture is" - A study of inclusion and exclusion through nationalism and racialization in the Danish immigration debate
Authors
Bruhn, Nina Svane ; Christensen, Mette
Term
4. term
Publication year
2019
Submitted on
2019-05-31
Pages
86
Abstract
In Denmark, the immigration debate is described as increasingly polarized amid new nationalist currents, Islamophobic media discourse, and extensive policy tightening (including border controls and a covering ban, 114 restrictions since 2015). Framed by the questions of how the debate is perceived, what worries accompany it, and how those worries are rationalized, we conducted 11 qualitative interviews in an iterative design that drew on the interviews and our shared social experience with respondents. The analysis is organized around four themes: the public debate, nationalist tendencies, racialization and racism dynamics, and truth-judgment in a post-truth context. Findings indicate that the debate has grown more extreme and that the threshold for what counts as extreme has shifted. Banal nationalism is pervasive: people born in Denmark are seen as more entitled to national goods, and the idea of unique Danish values is used to delimit inclusion and exclusion. Respondents express national pride and deploy neo-nationalist rhetoric, even as they disagree on the content of “Danish values.” These ideas are accompanied by the racialization of especially Muslim refugees and immigrants, who are viewed as a homogeneous group—either incompatible with Denmark, weak and lacking agency, or intent on changing Danish norms. At the same time, all respondents reject the label “racist” and regard being called racist as worse than racism in practice. The media are seen as untrustworthy, while respondents rely on their own judgment, gut feelings, and “common sense,” underestimating how hegemony shapes that sense. Overall, the study identifies neo-nationalist and neo-racist attitudes that legitimize inclusion and exclusion, while normalized national narratives, post-truth mechanisms, and confirmation bias make these attitudes hard to recognize as nationalist or racist.
Den danske udlændingedebat beskrives som stigende polariseret i en kontekst af nye nationalistiske strømninger, islamofob mediediskurs og omfattende lovstramninger (bl.a. grænsekontrol og tildækningsforbud, 114 stramninger siden 2015). Med udgangspunkt i spørgsmålet om, hvordan debatten opfattes, hvilke bekymringer der knytter sig til den, og hvordan de rationaliseres, gennemførte vi 11 kvalitative interviews i en iterativ proces, hvor både interviewdata og vores og respondenternes delte sociale erfaringer indgår. Analysen er struktureret i fire spor: den offentlige debat, nationalistiske tendenser, racialisering og racismedynamikker samt sandhedsvurderinger i en post-truth-kontekst. Studiet peger på, at debatten er blevet mere ekstrem, og at grænsen for, hvad der opfattes som ekstremt, er forskudt. Banal nationalisme er gennemgående: personer født i Danmark opfattes som mere berettigede til nationale goder, og forestillingen om særligt danske værdier bruges til at trække grænser for inklusion og eksklusion. Respondenterne udtrykker national stolthed og anvender neo-nationalistisk retorik, selv om de ikke er enige om, hvad danske værdier indebærer. Disse forestillinger ledsages af racialisering af især muslimske flygtninge og indvandrere, som ses som en homogen gruppe og enten som uforenelige med Danmark, som svage uden handlekraft eller som nogen, der vil ændre danske normer. Samtidig afviser alle at være racister og opfatter beskyldningen om racisme som værre end racisme i praksis. Medierne vurderes som utroværdige, mens respondenterne stoler på egen dømmekraft, mavefornemmelse og “sund fornuft” og undervurderer, hvordan hegemoni former denne fornuft. Samlet viser studiet neo-nationalistiske og neo-racistiske holdninger, der legitimerer inklusion og eksklusion, mens normaliserede nationalfortællinger, post-truth-mekanismer og bekræftelsesbias gør dem svære at genkende som nationalistiske eller racistiske.
[This apstract has been generated with the help of AI directly from the project full text]
Keywords
Other projects by the authors
Bruhn, Nina Svane:
Christensen, Mette: