John Benjamins Publishing Company
Chapter 6. Free speech, hate speech, and hate beards
Abstract
This paper explores the discourse and verbal strategies of the Dutch ‘Freedom Party’ (PVV), an islamophobic populist party that emerged in the first decade of the twenty-first century. In particular, it focuses on the linguistic ideologies implicit in PVV discourse, arguing that PVV spokespersons systematically construe their own utterances as mere words, and hence as deserving state protection; and the utterances of others as acts, and more specifically as acts of violence, deserving repression or prosecution. This asymmetric linguistic ideology may help us to explore empirical and normative questions concerning violence in language. In particular, the question of violence and responsibility is discussed on the basis of Norwegian Anders Breivik’s 2011 murderous assault on Norwegian social democrats, which explicitly appealed to PVV leader Wilders and his views on Islam.
Abstract
This paper explores the discourse and verbal strategies of the Dutch ‘Freedom Party’ (PVV), an islamophobic populist party that emerged in the first decade of the twenty-first century. In particular, it focuses on the linguistic ideologies implicit in PVV discourse, arguing that PVV spokespersons systematically construe their own utterances as mere words, and hence as deserving state protection; and the utterances of others as acts, and more specifically as acts of violence, deserving repression or prosecution. This asymmetric linguistic ideology may help us to explore empirical and normative questions concerning violence in language. In particular, the question of violence and responsibility is discussed on the basis of Norwegian Anders Breivik’s 2011 murderous assault on Norwegian social democrats, which explicitly appealed to PVV leader Wilders and his views on Islam.
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Investigating violence in language 1
-
Part I. The language of violence
- Chapter 1. The invention of violence 33
- Chapter 2. Voice and silence in the suburbs of São Paulo 57
- Chapter 3. From the side of the road to the borders of the page 79
-
Part II. The violence of language
- Chapter 4. The circulation of violence in discourse 107
- Chapter 5. Racist speech as a linguistic discriminatory practice in Brazil 125
- Chapter 6. Free speech, hate speech, and hate beards 141
-
Part III. The intersections of violence, bodies and languages
- Chapter 7. On languages, bodies and epistemic violence 171
- Chapter 8. Queering violence and narrative 189
- Chapter 9. Discursive constructions of deviance in the narratives of a prison inmate 227
- Index 249
Chapters in this book
- Prelim pages i
- Table of contents v
- Investigating violence in language 1
-
Part I. The language of violence
- Chapter 1. The invention of violence 33
- Chapter 2. Voice and silence in the suburbs of São Paulo 57
- Chapter 3. From the side of the road to the borders of the page 79
-
Part II. The violence of language
- Chapter 4. The circulation of violence in discourse 107
- Chapter 5. Racist speech as a linguistic discriminatory practice in Brazil 125
- Chapter 6. Free speech, hate speech, and hate beards 141
-
Part III. The intersections of violence, bodies and languages
- Chapter 7. On languages, bodies and epistemic violence 171
- Chapter 8. Queering violence and narrative 189
- Chapter 9. Discursive constructions of deviance in the narratives of a prison inmate 227
- Index 249
