'Here we go again': Christchurch's antiracism rally as a discursive crisis

Abstract

An antiracist rally in Christchurch, New Zealand in May 2004 was organized by Asian immigrants to protest and advocate for an end to everyday racism in their dealings with long settled New Zealanders, but public debate focused not on the experiences of recent migrants but on the question of whether Christchurch is racist. A discursive crisis, indicated by heavy media coverage in the weeks immediately before and after the event, is characterized by discourses of denial, affront and whiteness that indicate the social context in which racialization occurs. Such discourses are similar to those of 'new racism' in other immigrant societies. © Journal compilation © 2009 The New Zealand Geographical Society Inc.