Abstract
Previous studies on racism in the field of discursive and critical social psychology have focused mainly on perpetrator talk and text, perpetrator personality and cognition, in-group psychology, and systemic racism. Research examining targets’ perspectives and responses to racism is rare. The current study, one of the first of its kind in Aotearoa New Zealand, explores indigenous Māori accounts of their resistance to everyday racism. Nineteen Māori men and women were interviewed regarding their experiences and reactions to racist incidents. Thematic analysis informed by social constructionism was used to examine interview transcripts and identify three key themes: 1) difficulties in verbally expressing resistance to racism, 2) silent or non-vocalized resistance, and 3) vocalized resistance. Comparing and contrasting findings with previous research highlighted participants’ agentic management of resistance and a unique desire to inform perpetrators about their racism.
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