Black barrio women’s BLM demonstrations in Sweden 2020
A decolonial analysis of corporate media’s regime of anti-Black misrepresentations
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.7146/kkf.v38i1.146749Nøgleord:
black women, racialized regime of representation, corporate media, Sweden, intersectional failureResumé
The first months of the COVID-19 quarantine coincided with the anti-racist protests against police violence directed at Afro-descendants. In Sweden, the societal response to such police brutality was relatively lukewarm. On one hand, the head of the Health Authority blamed the higher numbers of infections and deaths in Sweden on a “lack of discipline among immigrants.” Blaming immigrants for the spread of COVID-19 follows a pattern of stigmatization in which time seems to be frozen in presentism. On the other hand, various streams of the extreme right were deeply disturbed by the 'irresponsible measure' taken by #BLM of protesting against police violence amid the pandemic.
Den 7. juni 2020, en dag efter fejringen af nationaldagen, organiserede #BLM en stor demonstration i Göteborg, som formentlig var den største nogensinde afholdt af afro-efterkommere i svensk historie. Denne artikel analyserer de tidsmæssige forhold, der blev vist under denne demonstration, med fokus på begreber som presentisme, stjålet tid, frossen tid, arresteret tid og defuturering af sorte kroppe i Sverige. De forskellige taler under demonstrationen blev holdt af sorte forstadskvinder, som tog en poetisk tilgang i deres appeller.
Svaret fra de (hvide) virksomhedsmedier på en sådan innovativ dekolonial tilgang var total tavshed, hvilket påtvingede udstødelse af både formen og indholdet af handlingen. Tre timer efter, at demonstrationen sluttede, skiftede deres kameraer og redaktionelle fokus til at fremhæve de spontane hærværkshandlinger udført af farvede drenge og unge mennesker i det centrale Gøteborg.
En dekolonial analyse af de tidsmæssige forhold omkring demonstrationen kan afsløre to centrale indsigter. For det første kan den vise, hvordan racismen udøver sit hegemoni til at udslette sorte kroppe og derved reproducere magtens kolonialitet i samfundet. For det andet kan det illustrere, hvordan anfægtelsen af disse tidsligheder under demonstrationen havde til formål at fremadrette, og i talerne forestillede sig et svensk samfund fri for racisme og kolonialisme.
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