Words that Hurt. Subjective Experiences of Racism in an Indigenous School

Abstract

This article presents an analysis of the expressions of microracism in the context of a rural hostel secondary school in Argentina. Through in-depth interviews with 16 indigenous young people, the forms of nomination in school sociability were investigated. It was identified that body marks, indigenous and rural condition are racialized qualities that entail experiences of pain. Adjectives such as “black”, “Indian face”, “come down from the hill” operate in a naturalized way in everyday dealings between peers. These forms of social classification are reproduced in the school environment, structuring power relations where those students who hold a position and a belief of superiority humiliate and inferiorize others by considering them of lesser value. The manifestations of microracism constitute an effective mechanism in the production of denied subjectivities.

Keywords

• racism
• violence
• coexistence
• cultural diversity
• secondary school