Session 2: Whiteness and Racialisation

1. Session 2: Whiteness and Racialisation

2. Whiteness signifies and reproduces privilege in our society • The colour white is a symbol with a particular set of social meanings • Whiteness is not just about skin colour or just about white people • Whiteness is about lived experience including privilege and viewpoint as well as beliefs, practices and policies

3. White Privilege • White as normal • White as superior • White as raceless • Invisibility of others • Hypervisibility of others

4. What is the dominant culture of Whiteness?

5. (Adapted from Helms 1992 p. 13)

6. How does Whiteness intersect with other sources of privilege such as gender, sexuality, ability, class etc. • Is it useful to look at how white people gain benefit in our society – why white people have good health, good educational outcomes, etc • How do non-white non-Indigenous people fit into the framework of Whiteness? • Can people with non-white skin have the attributes of Whiteness and white-skinned people resist/reject Whiteness?

7. What is Racialisation? • Racialisation is a social system in which people are divided into ‘races’. Racism and anti-racism are both types of racialisation. • Racism: actions that enhance or maintain unfair and avoidable inequalities between races • Anti-racism: actions that reduce or eliminate unfair and avoidable inequalities between races • Racism and anti-racism are not defined through intentions but rather the effects of actions

8. Exercise • Read the Koori Mail article • In small groups discuss how the situation described in the article racialises individuals and/or groups • What are inequalities are involved in the situation? • Is the situation depicted in article racist or anti-racist? • How does this situation relate to inequalities across other axes of oppression such as gender and age?

9. Question • Are there one or more inequalities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous groups in this situation? • Are these inequalities unfair and avoidable? • If we answer yes to both of these questions then:

10. Defence of ‘traditional marriage’ Is anti-racist • Reduces inequalities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people by privileging Indigenous cultural norms Outlawing ‘traditional marriage’ Is racist • Enhances inequalities between Indigenous and non-Indigenous people by privileging non-Indigenous cultural norms

11. Further Question • Are there one or more inequalities between the man and the girl in this situation? • Are these inequalities unfair and avoidable? • If we answer yes to both of these questions then:

12. Defence of traditional marriage Is sexist/ageist • Enhances inequalities between girl/young person vs. man/older person Outlawing traditional marriage Is anti-sexist/anti-ageist • Reduces inequalities between girl/young person vs. man/older person

13. Indigenous Non-Indigenous Girl Man

14. Indigenous Non-Indigenous Girl Man

15. Indigenous Non-Indigenous Girl Man