Intelligibility frames of racial discrimination: Homogenisation, hierarchisation and individualisation

DOI: https://doi.org/10.5209/tekn.105428
Keywords: government policy, identity, migration, social inclusion, social inequality

Abstract

Identity politics has an impact on the intelligibility frames of anti-discrimination policies. This article explores the institutionalization of identity discourse in the governmental policies against racism and xenophobia, analyzing 90 publications (2005-24) from the Spanish Observatory on Racism and Xenophobia. We coded the publications with Atlas.Ti based on six frames of meaning (problem-solution, agents-actions, axes-subjects) and its areas of intervention, and analyzed the co-occurrence of codes with a network analysis that identifies four communities: police-legal action; rights, subjects, and axes of discrimination; public policies; and understanding of migratory phenomena. The interpretation of representative excerpts from each community reveals frameworks of intelligibility that construct forms of hierarchy and identity homogenization. This places the issue of discrimination in the context of interpersonal relationships in terms of aggressor/victim or privilege/discrimination, sidestepping its colonial genealogy and structural dimension.

Author Biographies

Marisela Montenegro Martínez, Autonomous University of Barcelona

Licenciada en Psicología por la Universidad Central de Venezuela. Doctora en Psicología Social y profesora titular del Departamento de Psicología Social (UAB). Se ha interesado por el análisis crítico de los procesos de intervención social y la Psicología Comunitaria, los movimientos sociales y la memoria colectiva, desde perspectivas feministas y postcoloniales. Actualmente, dirige la investigación “Unidiversa: construyendo una universidad inclusiva” financiada por la Agencia de Gestión de Ayudas Universitarias y de Investigación (AGAUR) de Cataluña.

Joan Pujol Tarrés, Autonomous University of Barcelona

Doctor en Psicología Social y profesor titular del Departamento de Psicología Social (UAB). Es miembro del grupo AFIN de esa misma universidad. Su investigación utiliza las perspectivas semiótico materiales para el análisis de los movimientos LGTBI+, la discapacidad, el racismo estrutural, la interseccionalidad y los órdenes afectivos. Así mismo, investiga sobre la rigurosidad de los métodos de investigación en ciencias sociales. Actualmente, es Co-IP del proyecto Retos: Repro-Flows en Europa, África del Norte y América Latina: Movilidad de personas y gametos en el contexto fragmentado de la regulación transnacional de la reproducción asistida y la adopción.

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Published
2026-03-26
How to Cite
Montenegro Martínez, M., & Pujol Tarrés, J. (2026). Intelligibility frames of racial discrimination: Homogenisation, hierarchisation and individualisation. Teknokultura. Revista de Cultura Digital Y Movimientos Sociales, 23(2), 119-129. https://doi.org/10.5209/tekn.105428
Issue
Vol. 23 No. 2 (2026): El fin de la identidad
Section
Karpeta

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