J5-3102

Slovenia faces a significant increase and normalization of hate speech on social networks, accompanied by heated discussions on whether to prosecute or ignore it because the society is continuously riddled by a dilemma whether the restriction of hate speech is a violation of freedom of expression. A complete terminological confusion exists in delineating the concepts of socially unacceptable speech, offensive speech, hate speech and speech which is criminally prosecutable.

Research shows a rise in nationalist economic protectionism, Islamophobia, homophobia, hate speech and racist attacks on foreigners and minorities, but there are no in-depth analyses of the relationship between nationalism/racism, migration and gender in the generation of hate speech.

The project seeks to answer the following research questions:
How to study and define hate speech? Is hate speech any offensive act against a particular social group or does it specifically relate to subjugation of minorities perceived as the Other?
How is hate speech generated and what is the role of the position and (dis)privilege in social hierarchy of the “source” and the “target” of hate speech?
What is the explanatory model that connects the concepts of hate speech, racism, nationalism, gender and migration?
Can the contemporary challenges of mass migration, global COVID-19 pandemic and the related upsurge in nationalism and anti-immigrant hate speech be addressed by alternative counter-narratives?
The overall research goal is to generate new knowledge and find new solutions, based on science.