Resistance, Erasure, and the Life & Politics of Coloniality in Norwegian Schools
The study aims to understand how the denial of racism is produced and maintained through the operationalization of bullying in media discourse and court documents. Using critical discourse theory inspired by Bacchi’s (2000;2009) policy as discourse analysis, 61 newspaper articles and two verdicts from the district court of Agder are analyzed. In line with policy as discourse analysis, we ask what the problem is represented to be for different actors in the Lillesand-case. We argue that the concept of bullying in Norwegian schools has been used to obscure and deny racism, maintaining schools as “white spaces.” (Ahmed, 2007). Using decolonial theory (Maldonado-Torres, 2007) to analyze how the denial of racism perpetuates colonial power structures, we identify four strategies used to frame the bullying: Denial of Racism through Insisting on Conflict, The Ideology of Colorblindness, Strong and Difficult Girls, and Continued Mistrust. These strategies collectively invalidate the victims’ experiences and uphold racial hierarchies.
The historical context of Norwegian education policies, particularly the Norwegianization of Sámi and Kven peoples, is discussed to highlight how these policies have long perpetuated racial inequalities. The article concludes that the denial of racism in the Lillesand-case reflects broader systemic issues in Norwegian education, where colonial legacies continue to shape social relations and institutional responses to racism.