“It’s Not Racist To Impose Limits On Immigration”: Constructing The Boundaries Of Racism In The Asylum And Immigration Debate

Simon Goodman (Coventry University)

Volume 4, Issue 1

Abstract

This paper addresses how members who argue for limiting asylum and immigration in the UK construct and deal with accusations that they are racist. An action orientation focussed discourse analysis is conducted on public sphere data gathered primarily from the British general election campaign of 2005. Opponents of immigration and asylum are shown constructing accusations of racism as a way of stifling a ‘proper' debate about asylum and immigration. As a result of this, supporters of asylum and immigration are seen using rhetorical delicacy when attempting to make accusations of racism in anticipation of, and in order to deflect, such criticism. It is suggested that in debates about asylum there appears to be an additional disclaimer so that as well as ‘I'm not racist...but' participants are seen claiming that ‘I'm not calling you racist...but'. The implications of this analysis for discursive psychologists interested in the construction of racism and wider debates about asylum and immigration are discussed.

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