In this piece, I discuss how the recent anti-racism protests and sentiments around the world have impacted language policies. I will precisely look at the example of a Swiss product known as 'Mohrenkopf' which refers to 'chocolate marshmallow'. The name of this product comes from two words: 'Mohr' ('negro' according to Pons) and 'Kopf' (head), and means 'moor's head' or 'moorish head'. According to the Duden dictionary, 'Mohr' comes from Old High German word mōr which is related to maurus (Latin) meaning a person with a dark skin colour. The Meyers Lexicon (1905) defines the term 'Mohr' in the following manner:
eigentlich ein Bewohner Mauretaniens (richtiger Maure); dann allgemeine Bezeichnung für ein Individuum der schwarzen Rasse, Neger, insbes. ein mohammedanischer Bewohner Nordafrikas.
[actually a resident of Mauritania (real moor); then a general term for an individual of the black race, negro, especially a Mohammedan resident of North Africa]
Image of 'Mohrenkopf' (source: wikimedia commons)
These definitions make clear that this term has both race- and religion-related connotations. The Meyers Lexicon (1905) does not describe this term as offensive or discriminatory. However, both Pons and Duden dictionaries note that the word 'Mohr' is offensive and discriminatory which means that in the last hundred years the problematic aspects of this term have been gradually recognised and the speakers of the German language are aware of the sensitive nature of the term. The chocolate marshmallows are nonetheless still known as 'Mohrenkopf' in Switzerland.
Longstanding debate
The debate is not recent. There was a petition years ago to the Firm Dubler AG, the producer of Mohrenkopf, to change the name of this product. The petition that aimed at 'decolonising the patisserie', garnered 1,456 signatures. There has been another petition in June 2020 that called for legal action against Dubler AG. The petition makes its case using Article 261 of Swiss Criminal Code (Schweizerisches Strafengesetzbuch) that prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation. The petition needs 10,000 signatures, but has received only 34 so far.
The previous petition was not successful, as Dubler AG refused to rename its product. A report by Swissinfo.ch (2018) notes that 'the company’s persistent refusal to do so led to a rapid rise in sales. Customers ate more of the sweets out of “solidarity” with a word many consider racist, and young members of the right-wing populist Swiss People’s Party (SVP) handed out “Mohrenkopfs” in pedestrian zones'. It must be noted that the Swiss People's Party has a deeply problematic history as far as its stance on immigration is concerned, and in fact has also been punished by the Swiss Supreme Court for violating anti-racism laws because of the discriminatory portrayal of foreigners in its campaigns.
Post-Minneapolis: What has changed in Switzerland?
The worldwide protests that followed the murder of George Floyd have shaken the structures that perpetuate discrimination and/or racism. However, discriminatory attitudes and practices still linger. If we look at the specific case of "Mohrenkopf", the firm Dubler AG has reiterated that it does not wish to change the name of its product. In fact in an interview given to Watson.ch (2020), Robert Dubler, the owner of Dubler AG, stated the following when it was brought to his attention that the term 'Mohrenkopf' might offend people:
Im Zusammenhang, wie ich das Wort benutze, ist es positiv. Ich mache etwas, von dem ich das Gefühl habe, das es sehr gut ist. Der Mohrenkopf ist qualitativ hochstehend. Dafür benutze ich doch keinen zweitklassigen Namen.
[The word is positive in the context in which I use it. I am doing something about which I feel that it is really good. The Mohrenkopf is of high quality. I do not use a second-class name for that] (my translation).
Mr Dubler also pointed out that he has 'a relative of a dark skin colour' and that relative does not have any problem with the name of the product. So, currently a change on part of the producer does not seem likely. However, certain changes have started. For example, Migros, a leading supermarket chain from Switzerland, decided to withdraw the product from its stores after a twitter user complained about the racist connotations of the product name. Similarly, another retailer called Manor decided to withdraw the product.
Even though the company Dubler has remained unaffected by the petitions and twitter campaigns, the solidarity showed by Migros and Manor can be seen as a sign of early changes that might put pressure on Dubler AG to rename its product. Meso-level changes have already started occurring. Let's hope that the micro-level campaigns can also bring about a change at the macro-level too: this might occur if the Swiss legal system adjudges the name "Mohrenkopf" to be discriminatory. The legal instrument is already there (Art. 261, Swiss Criminal Code). The question is: when will it be put into practice?
Note: Image used for academic purposes. No monetisation intended.
How to cite this article:
Sharma, A. 2020. Language Policies Post-Minneapolis: A Discussion on the term 'Mohrenkopf', URL: < https://sharmaabhi1.wixsite.com/mysite/post/language-policies-post-minneapolis-a-discussion-on-the-term-mohrenkopf > [accessed dd/mm/yyyy]
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