Everyday racism in school becomes individualized

In the current study, "The past and the present: Following in the footsteps of a neo-Nazi movement in a rural Sweden school,"
researchers have examined the prevalence of racist defamation and the occurrence of neo-Nazi symbols and greetings in the school by interviewing ten teachers, student health personnel, principals, and 14 students in the industrial town. All were more or less aware that a racist jargon is used at the current school.

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– The acceptance of these events varies a lot, but what struck us was the strong tendency among school staff and especially students to sometimes trivialize and dismiss everyday sexism and racism. Instead of talking about racism, some teachers, for example, spoke about xenophobia and claimed that it was a milder form of fear of strangers and not real racism, says Thomas Johansson, professor of pedagogy and one of the researchers behind the study.

Racist jargon is normalized

Students and teachers report that racist slurs are common. Sometimes someone paints a swastika on the school walls, someone else makes a Hitler salute, and Confederate flags hang from EPA tractors in the school parking lot.

– Even though words like "nigger" and "Arab" were used in a derogatory way, these routine expressions were not considered a "problem" by the students. The racist jargon was normalized. Essentially, these acts of microviolence become part of everyday life in school, something the students have to endure.

Previous research has shown that the Nazi movement's strongholds during the interwar period tend to remain strongholds a century later, as is the case here. Since the Swedish National Socialist movement was founded in the current industrial town, it has been a strong foothold for the National Socialist and neo-Nazi movement. Today, the local movement consists of middle-aged former skinheads who have their own clubhouse, and children attending the local school. Over the past few decades, the town has been marked by deindustrialization and economic decline.

– There is a strong tendency to psychologize or use the industrial town mentality as an excuse for why students use racist expressions.

Racist tendencies persist

The interviewed teachers report that there has been quite a bit of fighting, racism, and threats against immigrant families for a period. The researchers found that racist tendencies persisted. Even though the Nazis are not as visible, both students and teachers know they exist, but they no longer care as much because they no longer behave as threateningly.

Thomas Johansson argues that the Nazi history is expressed in the school's everyday life. It becomes a kind of reproduction process of Nazi history in certain places, which is present with varying intensity over the years, he argues. – It's very difficult for teachers to handle the constant presence of everyday racism. They tend to lower the bar for what they accept and let it pass when they can't unravel everything that happens, says Thomas Johansson.

Racism is individualized

Despite everyone interviewed noticing neo-Nazi symbols, expressions, and behaviors, racism was still not considered a "problem." On the contrary, they were seen as exceptions and expressions of individual behaviors rather than routine and constant harassment. – By individualizing the problem instead of seeing the structures, the school unintentionally contributes to the neo-Nazi movement reproducing neo-Nazi and far-right environments. Institutional racism cannot be addressed if the problems are individualized too much.

Create a safe environment The researchers behind the study argue that increased awareness, education, and various measures are needed to counter everyday racism and Nazism in Swedish schools. – It is crucial to create an environment where students and staff feel safe and respected regardless of background. Meeting these challenges requires a collective effort from school leaders, teachers, and society as a whole to create a more just and inclusive learning environment, says Thomas Johansson.

Text: Ragnhild Larsson