The framing of Sikh Americans: White Christonormativity, discursive hyper(in)visibilities, and racialization of religion

Satveer Kaur-Gill, Srividya Ramasubramanian

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

We use discourse tracing analysis to examine Sikh media representations across four U.S. newspapers in the last two decades. Guided by the theory of hyper(in)visibility, our study focuses on how representations are othered and erased through various types of discursive hyperinvisibilities, such as myopic, faulty, hazy, and selective visibilities deployed within White Christonormative structures of interpretation. Such othering and erasure then result in the looping of media reports emphasizing stereotypes, misidentification, homogenization, and simplification over 18 years, reinforcing the racialization of religious minorities in a unidimensional way that perpetuates minoritization through discursive tactics of hyper(in)visibility of multiple marginalized groups. These representations have implications that trickle down into real-world intercultural interactions across various spheres of life, including multicultural community settings and workplace interactions, and extend to policy implications such as surveillance architectures. The practical consequences result in intercultural communication outcomes involving hate speech, violence, stereotyping, and microaggressions.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)337-364
Number of pages28
JournalJournal of International and Intercultural Communication
Volume17
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - 2024

Keywords

  • hyper(in)visibility
  • Islamophobia
  • media justice
  • Sikhs
  • White Christonormativity

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Cultural Studies
  • Communication

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