Dire la race ?

Processus de catégorisation raciale en milieu associatif et solidaire

Abstract

This paper in sociolinguistics focuses on ordinary racializing language practices. Based on a corpus composed of oral interactions between members of a Parisian association welcoming homeless and migrant people, the paper examines the difficulty of saying the racial categories "black" and "white". These categorization processes are described in their interactional, discursive and enunciative dimensions. These descriptions reveal that, on certain occasions, a strong tension surrounds the enunciation of racial categories. The paper then questions the relevance, from the speakers' point of view, of racial categories to describe reality.