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Article published In: Journal of Language and Politics
Vol. 23:6 (2024) ► pp.783–807

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Humanitarian discourse as racism disclaimer

The representation of Roma in Swedish press

ORCiD logo with link | University of Cambridge
 | Shanghai International Studies University
Published online: 1 February 2024
DOI logo with link
https://doi.org/10.1075/jlp.23044.bre
Abstract
Roma communities remain Europe’s most marginalized and disadvantaged population, facing increasing discrimination, especially after the 2015 refugee crisis. European media often portrays them as criminals or anti-social, furthering misunderstanding and social exclusion. This article examines Swedish news media’s representation of Roma, which, at a surface level, appears much less negative. Using Multimodal Critical Discourse Analysis, we analyze two Swedish newspapers’ coverage of the controversial law which sought to criminalize begging, which targeted Eastern European Roma migrants. Our findings reveal that ‘Swedish exceptionalism’–a discourse of human rights, equality, colorblindness, characterized by limited racial literacy–serves to obscure and act as a disclaimer for anti-Roma sentiment and government actions which in fact resemble those criticized in other EU countries.
Article outline
  • 1.Introduction
  • 2.Racism, inequality and White Swedishness
  • 3.Theory and method
  • 4.How the Roma are represented
  • 5.The ‘Problem’ of begging
  • 6.The solution and the Swedish way
  • 7.Conclusion
  • References
References (69)
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Cited by (1)

Cited by one other publication

Krzyżanowski, Michał & Hugo Ekström
2025. “No longer the haven of tolerance”? The press and discursive shifts on immigration in Sweden 2010–2022. Social Semiotics 35:3 ► pp. 472 ff. DOI logo

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