3 What is anti-racism?
The term anti-racism can mean quite different things to people. Like many contested terms, how it is defined, understood – and what it represents – can invoke a range of different sentiments among people. What immediately sprang to mind when you first saw the title of this course? Did it make you feel more or less curious about its content and coaching approach? Or perhaps sceptical or cautious about what the course may involve?
The term anti-racism has been used to describe the type of coaching practice that is presented in this course because, for the authors, anti-racism represents a social, political and theoretical body of ideas that broadly seek to identify, challenge, disrupt and dismantle racism in all its various forms. To help illustrate the core principles behind this interpretation of the term and its relevance to coaching practice, you might find the following brief discussion of associated terminology.
- First, the term racism requires some scrutiny and defining, because in order to be anti- or opposed to racism one needs to be aware of what this term means – including the different types of racism that exist.
- Second, the term non-racism is explored to consider the different positions that can be taken in opposing racism and racist practice and the potential consequences of taking these positions.
- Finally, anti-racism is considered.
The short video below helps to introduce these three key terms and how they can be applied to sport to further our understanding.
Transcript
NARRATOR
What exactly is anti-racism? And why has it been used to describe the type of coaching practice discussed in this course? This short video will briefly discuss three key concepts that can help answer these questions. First, is racism or technically racisms, as there are several types to consider. Then the term non-racism is discussed in contrast with anti-racism. To help, you see how and why this might relate to coaching.
Racism can take different forms and operate at different levels of a society such as individual, institutional, and systemic. Individual racism relates to how individuals are treated unfairly based on their racial, ethnic, or cultural identity. In sport, this might involve a player being targeted by racist chants from the crowd, or a coach making negative assumptions or judgements about a player’s ability based on their skin colour or cultural background.
Institutional racism describes a collective set of organisational practices, policies, and processes that discriminate against people because of their race or ethnicity. For example, an institutional body states that you can only postpone fixtures or allow time off for approved Christian religious dates. Or you can only be the vice president of your club if you’ve been a member for 20 years.
Systemic racism represents much wider patterns of inequality. This inequality stretches back over centuries and emerges out of the historic social arrangements, such as the Atlantic slave trade and colonialism. It is argued that this legacy continues to shape social patterns and opportunities, and can help explain the persistent disadvantages faced by some ethnic groups in systems including education, housing, employment, health care, media coverage, politics and sport. Understanding racisms in this way can help to see how racial discrimination can operate across different layers of a society and that racism exists beyond just one person’s individual prejudice.
Next is the term ‘non-racism’ which describes a common response to racism. People who take a non-racist position may believe that racism is wrong, unfair, abhorrent, and unacceptable, but may not appreciate the extent to which racism exists and how it can shape people’s lives. Someone who is non-racist might stay quiet because they have, perhaps, never experienced racism themselves, or they tried to avoid saying or doing anything that might be perceived as being racist.
That’s where anti-racism comes in and why it is the term being used to describe the coaching practice presented in this course. An anti-racist is someone who goes beyond just trying not to be racist, but seeks ways for them to contribute to challenging and overcoming racism and discrimination. Anti-racism is a positive, proactive position that drives people to want to change the world around them and contribute towards a more equitable, fair, and just society.