RACIAL DISCOURSE, ATTITUDE, AND RHETORICAL MANEUVERS - RACE TALK IN THE NETHERLANDS

Eleven ethnically Dutch adults, living in an old neighborhood in the c enter of the city of Rotterdam in the Netherlands, discussed in two gr oups during four evenings the situation in their neighborhood. Transcr ipts of the discussions were analyzed focusing on racial attitudes and their expression. Three questions guided the analysis. First, the rel ationship between holding strong views and the variability of attitudi nal positions expressed in discourse was studied. Second, the question of the meaning of different rhetorical manoeuvres or devices in expre ssing racism was addressed. Third, some of the ways in which racist vi ews are presented and justified were explored. It is argued, first, th at variability in attitude expression depends on the normative positio n of the speaker. Second, it is argued that ''rhetorical'' manoeuvres are not only strategical but can also have a more genuine meaning. Thi rd, it is shown that using personal experiences is a powerful device f or justifying racist talk.