Making Enemies: War(b)ordering in Norwegian Extreme Right Discourse

Abstract

This article examines discursive practices of (b)ordering in outputs circulated by a formerly state-funded, extreme-right civil society organization, the Human Rights Service (HRS). Focusing on how an antagonistic relational structure is systematically encouraged between “non-Western,” minoritized populations and Norwegian majorities, I assess the fundamental components of a semiotics of war. The study develops the concept of war(b)ordering to describe how HRS systematically invites Norwegian majorities to perceive minoritized populations as collective enemies through three discursive frames: (a) citizen-soldier subjectivity, (b) a narrative of secret invasion, and (c) visual differential representation. Through a description of these frames underlying HRS’s representations, the article argues that the Norwegian state’s funding and mandating of this organization as an expert actor that is authorized to provide the public with knowledge about immigration and integration has conflicted with its human rights obligation to prevent racial discrimination.