The three communicative dimensions of hate speech
Stefanie Pukallus · 2024
Hate speech is a communicative phenomenon that can be understood as an attack on individual and collective dignity, thereby facilitating the systematic oppression of targeted groups through a society’s institutional civil and political arrangements. And yet although hate speech can cause such a significant harm, it is not been examined and understood in any depth as a communicative phenomenon. In this chapter, I aim to contribute to a deeper understanding of hate speech as communication and argue that there are three communicative dimensions of hate speech: styles of public communication, rhetorical devices and vehicles for dissemination. These three dimensions can be universally defined but will be variously interpreted and combined depending on the targets of hate speech, its context and its intended audience.