The use and abuse of history in antiracism marketing: on quoting historical figures

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore how quotes from historical figures are used in antiracist campaigns: how they work, what they highlight and what they leave out. Building on Trouillot’s analysis of the power embedded in historical narratives and on research on the mobilization of history in marketing, antiracism and quotemanship, the authors describe the political logics behind the seemingly simple act of linking a historical figure to a powerful statement. Design/methodology/approach Using tools from critical discourse analysis, the authors focus on posters produced by French antiracist organizations. The authors analyze both the form (i.e. who is quoted, how and from which original context) and the content of the quotes (e.g. what kind of action the quote encouraged, the emotions it evoked, its historical and moral references and its tone). Findings The results of this study show that fewer than half of the quotes are authentic. More importantly, they reveal four recurring logics in how antiracism marketing uses history: gendered invisibilizing (erasing women and their struggles), externalizing (linking racism to other countries), whitewashing (telling France’s antiracism history through white voices) and domesticating (rerouting anticolonial ideas to make them fit organizational agendas). Originality/value Many marketing historians have studied how history is used in branding, but little attention has been paid to its role in the non-profit sector, especially in “social marketing.” Likewise, while historians have debated how historical memory should be used, avoided or prioritized in antiracist work, few have looked at how these tensions play out in the marketing materials of antiracist organizations. This study bridges these gaps through a multidisciplinary approach, inspired by Trouillot, that apprehends the production of history through the lens of power relations, showing how historical marketing research can enrich our understanding of debates on antiracism, historical memory and their commodification.