Racial Socialization of Europeans in the former Dutch East Indies: Critical Discourse Analysis of Childhood Memories

Racial socialization (RS) contributes to youth’s developing understanding of race in society. From the perspective of critical race theory (CRT) this process can either reproduce or disrupt racism, depending on which RS messages youth receive, accommodate, and resist. The current study critically examines RS in the former Dutch East Indies, present-day Indonesia. There is no prior research on this topic, so I incorporate theory from various disciplines to inform my analysis. In addition to US-centric CRT, I draw on Dutch colonial history as well as postcolonial and anti-racist critiques of global and Dutch White supremacy. I carry out critical discourse analysis (CDA) of childhood memories that White Europeans and Mixed Indo-Europeans recollected of the pre-war colony. I use the Discourse-historical approach of CDA which centers historical context and racializing language in analysis. My analysis shows that core aspects of RS included the belief in essential differences between...Show moreRacial socialization (RS) contributes to youth’s developing understanding of race in society. From the perspective of critical race theory (CRT) this process can either reproduce or disrupt racism, depending on which RS messages youth receive, accommodate, and resist. The current study critically examines RS in the former Dutch East Indies, present-day Indonesia. There is no prior research on this topic, so I incorporate theory from various disciplines to inform my analysis. In addition to US-centric CRT, I draw on Dutch colonial history as well as postcolonial and anti-racist critiques of global and Dutch White supremacy. I carry out critical discourse analysis (CDA) of childhood memories that White Europeans and Mixed Indo-Europeans recollected of the pre-war colony. I use the Discourse-historical approach of CDA which centers historical context and racializing language in analysis. My analysis shows that core aspects of RS included the belief in essential differences between racialized groups, the acceptance of segregation and inequality between racialized groups as natural, and the expectation for Europeans to distinguish themselves from Indigenous people through performative behaviors. Youth recollected RS messages from many different socializing agents and environments. Youth was especially prone to accommodating racial essentialism. Resistance to RS was often marked by a broader critical attitude. I conclude that performing expected behaviors was a condition for Mixed Indo-Europeans to become racialized as White, whereas non-conformity led to racialization as a culturally hybrid group between White and Indigenous. This has theoretical implications for the malleability of race, the potential power White Mixedness affords, and the distinction between colonizer and colonized. My work also holds practical implications for promoting the development of anti-racist youth, namely discrediting racial essentialism, denaturalizing racial segregation and inequality, and fostering resistance towards RS messages that perpetuate racism.Show less

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Racial Socialization of Europeans in the former Dutch East Indies: Critical Discourse Analysis of Childhood Memories