Deconstructing discourses on racism in educational contexts in Spain: along a continuum of racialization new and old

Abstract

[Abstract] The mass media, the political elite, and dominant academic and educational circles in Spain have contributed variously to a hegemonic discourse on statewide cultural diversity and racism, which is heavily centered on the challenges posed by the country's rapid transition over the last two decades to a destination for migrants from poorer countries. Indeed, a remarkably sharp increase in the overall immigrant population between 1998 and 2010 caused this group to rise from 1.5% of Spain's population to just over 12% ONE, 1999, 2010). That trend has been paralleled by a steady rise in reports of racist and xenophobic incidents in recent years,2 and by findings such as those presented in a 2003 report on racism and xenophobia conducted by the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (2003). Focused specifically on Spain, the report concludes that "racial or xenophobic violence continues to increase almost in tandem with the increase in immigration"