Intercultural Learning Critical preparation Module 3 Racism & Privilege

MODULE Culture Imperialism Cultural Diversity Racism Privilege Critical Reflection Culture Intercultural Practice . A I TERMS RESOURCES MODULE Racism Privilege Learning goal To develop a critical appreciation of the multiple ways in which racism and privilege impact upon individuals life experiences and choices . Click here to watch the video Racism and privilege

WELCOME MODULE I MODULE Culture White supremacy is the unnamed political system that has made the modern world what it is It is difficult to travel very far along the path of cultural understanding , and in particular an understanding of cultural difference , without running up against the issues of racism and privilege . A significant challenge in understanding the nature and impact of racism and privilege is being open to examining our own experience of these issues . In this unit , we explore the ways in which racism and privilege impact upon individuals life choices and experiences , the contentious concepts of race and racism , and the interconnected concepts of power and privilege . RACISM AND LIFE CHOICES Our previous unit discussed the processes of imperialism and colonisation , which enabled European countries to expand their rule . A key consequence is the ongoing destruction of people ways of life , or in its most extreme form , cultural genocide . Alongside these imperialist ventures , also ensued , where colonised peoples were positioned as inferior . This process was extended across the planet and became embedded in countries colonised by Europeans , resulting in a redistribution of world resources through the of biological attributes . In other words , racist beliefs were used to justify the exercise of power in many areas of life , producing dramatic negative economic and social impacts for many peoples around the world . The ideology of racism continues to permeate various contemporary and cultural across the globe . Imperialism Cultural Diversity Racism Privilege As emphasised in the first two units , how we and thus understand concepts and words matter Words indicate understandings of reality , shape interactions within discourses that produce them , and expose of power relations and people place in the world . They also actions taken . Therefore questioning words and meanings is more than arguing about For example , the United Nations International Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Racial Discrimination racial discrimination as Any distinction , exclusion , restriction or preference based on race , colour , descent , or national or ethnic origin which has the purpose or effect of nullifying or impairing the recognition , enjoyment or exercise , on an equal footing , of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political , economic , social , cultural or any other of public Although the above definition is clearly valuable in placing racism within the context of Human Rights , it nonetheless suffers from the traditional assumption that race is something that exists and has a scientific basis , a point worthy of further ?

Race and racism are contentious concepts that are often used interchangeably . It is indeed indisputable that all human beings belong to the same race Homo sapiens . Yet historically , the meaning of race has varied . Early definitions focussed on a hierarchy based on physical attributes , particularly skin colour . Later definitions focussed on allegedly different intelligence levels that favoured white skin . this theory has since been thoroughly discredited . However , the misconception of race as a biological entity has recently acquired a new lease Critical Reflection Culture MODULE Intercultural Practice KEV LEARNING TERMS RESOURCES I of life through genetic biology and . These disciplines seek to explain variations in human physicality and behaviour through genomes . But again , it is the of this biologically based process that results in racism , whilst further exposing its socially constructed basis ?

Racism is a set of economic , political and ideological practices whereby a dominant group exercises hegemony over subordinate Racism is a reactionary concept founded upon the scientifically false premises that there are physical and psychological inequalities between human races , and that the social and cultural history of mankind is dependent upon these racial distinctions ?

The way in which this reaction can emerge may be through more overt expressions of discrimination or exclusion , however , new forms of racism can be taken for granted in aspects of daily life . For example , racism can appear in the form of a narrow construction of Australian identity or way of life , that excludes minority groups ?

Racism may also be expressed through institutional or systemic discrimination , yet these forms continue to impact strongly on the life chances of individuals who are not part of the mainstream ?

As these forms of racism are more difficult to prove and identify , covert racism remains a pervasive part of our society ?

Click here to watch the video . Hidden forms of racism Racism has three and interactive components that are embedded in , and negotiated through the minutiae of everyday life personal institutional and cultural ?

Critical race theorists add an equally important structural dimension to our .

WELCOME MODULE MODULE I Culture understanding of racism that racism interacts and intersects with other forms of oppression , such as classism , sexism , ageism , and Key point The dynamic of racism , whereby individuals and groups of people are discriminated against and on the basis of perceived physical characteristics such as skin colour , has been a pervasive and destructive force in many human societies . Dominant groups have claimed , either explicitly or implicitly , superiority over others on the basis of race and acted upon these claims in discriminatory and destructive ways . Racism has therefore had a significant impact on the lives and experiences of many individuals and groups around the world . This means that a critical understanding of culture and cultural difference must include recognising and understanding both the nature of racism and its consequences . To address or minimise the effects of racism , all forms of hidden racism need to be made visible , including the intersecting and largely invisible structural forces that confer power and privilege to dominant groups . That is , who have access to resources and power beyond the common advantages of 32 33 However , most privilege is not recognised as such ?

In fact , one of the functions of privilege is to structure the world so that privileges are invisible in the sense Imperialism Cultural Diversity Racism Privilege that they are unexamined to those who benefit from them This video by highlights some of the aspects of privilege that can remain invisible . Click here to watch the video Invisible Privilege by SKIN COLOUR Skin colour is one of the more disturbing , largely unexamined , and persistent social constructs that perpetuates discrimination and divides power . As Indigenous scholar Aileen points Critical Reflection Culture MODULE Intercultural Practice KEV LEARNING TERMS RESOURCES ' most of the time , I forget what skin colour I hold and the skin colour of others . The only time I am reminded is when someone asks me , Where are you from ?

My mind , always thinks of the funny reply , I come from my womb ! but I never say this . Then it hits me like a brick , I am perceived as being other . Socially , in my younger days , on reflection , I see that I tried so hard to fit in , and was swept along in the current of the dominant river . These days , I am reminded , of the world I live in , when I put the television on and when I walk into ! shopping out whiteness as a racial identity confers dominance and privilege that remains unmarked and unnamed ?

For , the category of race ' Click to Watch the Video all other sources of social division , including The beauty of human skin in every color Indeed , in most Western societies , whiteness is a default standard against which all other groups of colour are compared , contrasted and made Click here to watch the video . Black and white Whiteness would not be so problematic if it were not predicated on white supremacy , imposed overtly and covertly on minorities , and made invisible to those who benefit from its Whiteness is both personal and In white majority nations such as Australia the universality of whiteness allows it to mask its privileged position . It has thus been argued that white privilege should be the object of inquiry in understanding race relations ?

MODULE I WELCOME MODULE Culture For those of us who come from a privileged racial background , unpacking what it means to be white can prove a challenging and confronting task . US research found that the question VVhat does it mean to be white ?

was very challenging for white the question simply did not make sense . Interviewing in downtown San Francisco , researchers found that the most common response to this question was to ask if it was a trick . Incredulity was usually followed by a declaration that this was not something they ever think Effective change lies in making whiteness visible , by exploring it as a racial or cultural construct , and whiteness in a and manner . In order to do this White society must be willing to look at themselves honestly , to confront the truth about themselves and the world , and to liberate themselves from the invisible cultural conditioning of a Part of confronting this truth is to engage with the broader context in which your international experience is taking place by learning about the relationship between local actions and global Teju Cole has highlighted that the international endeavours of white society to help others , known as the Saviour Industrial Complex can be a big emotional experience that validates privilege while lacking attention to the contextual conditions that create poverty and This speech by Ivan in 1968 this point further and provides some confronting perspectives on the idea of helping or notions of white superiority , particularly when matched with ignorance of the broader political , social and economic relationships between countries . Imperialism Cultural Diversity Racism Privilege Critical Reflection Culture Engaging with issues of racism and privilege can be very challenging both intellectually and personally . This is , however , an important challenge if our goal is to develop an inclusive and critical understanding of culture . In Module we were encouraged to recognise that culture was multidimensional and complex and to reject simplistic definitions and reductionist ways of thinking about it . Any such complex understanding of culture must consider the impact of racism because of the pervasive impact that this dynamic has had on individuals , groups and indeed societies around the globe . A critically reflective approach to such an understanding will involve thinking about these issues not just as abstract concepts but also as they manifest in our own lives . For some this may mean reflecting on the experience of racism themselves , while for others it will involve recognising and understanding the experience of privilege . MODULE Intercultural Practice KEY TERMS LEARNING .

MODULE I WELCOME MODULE Culture REFLECTION TASK For those of us who come from privileged backgrounds , one means by which we can begin to unpack what it means to be white is to understand ourselves as racial beings . This requires us to learn from the experiences of those who do not share the same racial privilege . what does it mean to be white ?

For some ideas about what it means to be white , read this list by Peggy on the daily effects of white privilege . Write a brief response , using the following questions as a guide Have you ever been denied access to educational opportunities because of the colour of your skin ?

Have you ever been denied access to social and economic opportunities because of the colour of your skin ?

Have you ever felt discouraged from considering certain career paths because of the colour of your skin ?

Imperialism Cultural Diversity Racism Privilege OR A class divided Jane Elliott In the , primary school teacher Elliott devised an exercise for her pupils with the aim of learning about racism and discrimination . The exercise is known as Blue Eyes . This recording shows Elliott conducting the exercise with her students , and then later a similar exercise with adults . Click here to watch the video A class divided How do the experiences of the school children highlight the way that racism can impact in multiple dimensions ?

How does this experiment demonstrate the importance of reflecting on whiteness , and the daily , taken for granted forms of racism experienced by groups ?

Critical Reflection Culture Intercultural Practice MODULE LEARNING TERMS Discuss with your lecturer , fellow students , family or friends . Further your engagement with the topic of racism and privilege by referring to the Learning Resources page . Click here to go to the Learning Resources section .