Racist Hate Speech in High School Social Networks: The Role of Slurs in Ethnic Stratification Between Latinx Adolescents

Racial and ethnic slurs are forms of hate speech that reinforce social divisions between demographic groups and propagate hateful norms through social networks. Prominent narratives of racist hate speech that center black-white dichotomies may not capture the nuanced reproduction of structural oppression within Latinx communities. Drawing from Critical Race and Speech Act theories, our proposed research aims to understand (1) how slurs, notably the “n-word,” reinforce stratification between subgroups of Latinx adolescents, (2) how friendship networks spread hate speech and its harms in the high school context, and (3) how practitioners use research evidence to inform pragmatic changes in school anti-slur policies and practices. Our mixed-method study was developed in collaboration with administrators, teachers, and students at a local high school as part of a long-term partnership. Preliminary interviews and focus groups suggest that the socioemotional harms due to slurs are widespread at the school. We will employ qualitative analyses to examine adolescents’ conceptualization of slurs and longitudinal quantitative analyses to simultaneously investigate changes in hate speech and friendship networks across the student body. Our collaborative project represents a unique opportunity to advance theoretical understanding of hate speech and inform policies and practices that reduce hateful slurs in educational contexts.