Samuel Vernet, Aix Marseille Université
« La haine est sainte. Elle est l’indignation des cœurs forts et puissants, le dédain militant de ceux que fâchent la médiocrité et la sottise. Haïr c’est aimer, c’est sentir son âme chaude et généreuse, c’est vivre largement du mépris des choses honteuses et bêtes. La haine soulage, la haine fait justice, la haine grandit.[1] »
Émile Zola, Mes haines, 1866, incipit
The research group “Draine” (Discours de haine) has been working on the notion of hate speech since 2016. Working with this notion raises legitimate theoretical, epistemological and methodological issues which will be briefly discussed in this talk. “Hate speech” is also used extensively outside the academic sphere and is subject of numerous political manipulations to the point where this notion, designed to study relations of domination, has been recuperated by dominant groups or governments and twisted to target all kinds of emancipation movements: e.g., decolonial struggles, demonstrations against police violence or for the redistribution of wealth, etc.
With the help of a series of examples taken from French current affairs over the last two years, I would like to take the opportunity of this conference to set out precisely three political problems. First, the semantic vagueness that characterizes the definition of hate speech makes the notion elastic and applicable to almost any situation of tension or controversy; second, the notion carries with it a pejorative connotation that transforms it into an infamous label and gives it a performative impact; because of which, thirdly, it serves in the media, to silence legitimate social struggles.
Over and above these political issues, this talk will look at the place of hatred in a democratic society. Starting from the above quotation of Emile Zola, the great classic writer, author of the ‘J’accuse’ against the anti-Semitism of the Dreyfus affair, we will question hatred not only as a tool of social domination and oppression of minorities, but also as a political instrument for social emancipation. To conclude, we will look at the future of the notion of hate speech: Should it disappear because it has been so misused in the political and media spheres? Should it disappear to better understand the political role of verbal violence in a democratic society?
Short bio
Samuel Vernet is associate professor at Aix Marseille Université, in the Laboratoire Parole et Langage (LPL). His research focuses on the construction and circulation of discourses and ideologies within processes of social domination. He coordinates the ‘Draine’ international research group (https://groupedraine.github.io/), devoted to the study of hate speech since 2016, and is working in parallel on the European ‘ARENAS’ project (Analysis of and Responses to Extremist Narratives – https://arenasproject.eu/).
[1] “Hatred is holy. It is the indignation of the strong and powerful, the militant disdain of those angered by mediocrity and stupidity. To hate is to love, to feel one’s soul warm and generous, to live widely in contempt for shameful and silly things. Hatred brings relief, hatred brings justice, hatred brings growth.”