The 'African gangs' narrative: associating Blackness with criminality and other anti-Black racist tropes in Australia

• Published in: African and black diaspora Vol. 13; no. 1; pp. 27 - 39
• Main Author: Majavu, Mandisi
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Abingdon Routledge 02-01-2020; Taylor & Francis Ltd
• Subjects: African gangs; Black people; Blackness; Crime; Criminality; Diaspora; Discourses; Gangs; Mass media; Media coverage; Melbourne; Narratives; News media; Racial identity; Racism; Sudanese; Australia; Africa
• ISSN: 1752-8631; 1752-864X
• DOI: 10.1080/17528631.2018.1541958

This article explores and theorizes anti-Black racist discourses that shape the ways in which the Australian media and other mainstream Australian institutions talk about and view Black Africans. It argues that the long-standing racist trope of synonymizing Blackness with criminality is widespread in Australia. Thus, among other things, this paper theorizes the Australian media narrative of 'African gangs' who are supposedly causing havoc in the State of Victoria, Australia. It argues that the January 2018 media reporting about the so-called 'African gangs' is a good example that illustrates how the long-standing racist trope of conflating Blackness with criminality is employed in Australia. The discussion is framed within a Black/African Diaspora theoretical framework that allows this study to conceptualize and connect the lived experiences of Black people globally.