“Um lixo, uma porcaria”: discursos de ódio xenofóbicos contra o Nordeste no futebol brasileiro

Abstract

This study seeks to investigate and understand, based on a communicational approach, how xenophobia against the Northeast is symbolically shaped and reverberated in the Brazilian football environment. To this end, discussions on social media X (formerly Twitter) regarding four episodes of attacks on clubs, players, directors, fans and/or the people of the Northeast itself over a ten-year period, between 2014 and 2023, were symbolically analyzed — always considering the diversity of a region with nine states, 1.5 million square kilometers and more than 50 million inhabitants, according to the 2022 Demographic Census. Initially, we identified the most commented post about each episode on social media based on pre-established parameters. Next, we collected the 6,555 replies to these publications. The corpus was then coded based on the operational bases of the content analysis methodology. The messages were categorized into groups that help to understand the meanings triggered by those who offend or reinforce the offensive speech. Then, the identified categories were read based on theoretical notions about identities and stereotypes, concepts traditionally appropriated by communication studies, and especially about hate speech, from an intersectional perspective.