Racism suitable for children? Intersections between child innocence and white innocence

Abstract

This article examines the concept of ‘child‐friendliness’ through different notions of innocence in a Danish context. It looks at how such notions are upheld, negotiated and inform ideas of race, making race seem a concern primarily for adults. The analysis is based on empirical material conducted with children (age 11–12) and their discussions about a storyline for a video game. Here race becomes central when the children call one of the locations in their game ‘n‐word Island’. They later reconsider the name because, according to the children, the name is racist and thus not ‘child‐friendly’.