Can we trace modern-day racism against Indigenous Australians to the country’s British invaders? Often when trying to extinguish a fire, it is more important to know what sustains it rather than what started it.
A bit of crowd control – nothing heavy-handed.
EPA/Michael Reynolds
Janet Condy, Cape Peninsula University of Technology
Once they graduate, they’ll educate South Africans of all race groups – so what happens when student teachers don’t mix across racial lines? A digital storytelling project is bridging gaps.
In the wake of the racist behaviour of a group of Chelsea supporters on the Paris Métro last week, a range of excellent critical commentaries emerged, pondering what these actions signified and how English…
Respected scientists within the recently formed National Research Council proposed building orphanages to study nature vs nurture with respect to racial differences.
Library of Congress
The history of race science is a history of racist science, as epitomized by this proposed but never carried-out experiment from the early 20th century.
Sicily, 1943: Whose blood was this U.S. soldier getting?
NARA
Until 1950 the Red Cross segregated blood. It was thousands of African-Americans during World War II who forced the Red Cross to include them as donors and helped pave the way for activism of the 1960s.
All people have prejudices, but learning more about them could help keep them in check.
Crowd image via www.shutterstock.com.
Humans are highly social creatures. Our brains have evolved to allow us to survive and thrive in complex social environments. Accordingly, the behaviors and emotions that help us navigate our social sphere…
How does feeling you inhabit a body different than your own affect your racial biases?
Trends in Cognitive Sciences, Maister et al.
In 1959, John Howard Griffin, a white American writer, underwent medical treatments to change his skin appearance and present himself as a black man. He then traveled through the segregated US south to…
Racial discrimination may have biological impacts lasting across generations.
Orange-studio/Shutterstock
Think about the last time you left the house. Did strangers on the street acknowledge your presence with a smile or avert their glance? Chances are that the answer depended on your age, gender and, of…
Racial disparities in tip size can’t be explained by discriminatory service.
Brian A Jackson/Shutterstock
Within the US restaurant industry, blacks are generally considered comparatively poor tippers. One recent survey of roughly 1,000 restaurant servers from across the nation found that 34% thought blacks…
In 2004, the Indigenous population of Redfern finally struck back at perceived endless police oppression and violence.
AAP/Sam Mooy
The aftermath of the 1934 Kalgoorlie riots, with their death toll of an “Aussie” and a “Slav”, the mass destruction of the homes of the Dings at Dingbat Flat and the rising horror in the town at how the…
When violence erupts, we can be tempted to make judgements about collective responsibility based on our own allegiances, rather than consistent moral principles.
EPA/Ian Langsdon
When should we hold a group morally responsible for a member’s evil? In the wake of the Charlie Hedbo attacks, many will demand answers about Islam’s role in promoting violence. As we brace for the inevitable…
Ridley Scott’s casting choices for Exodus: Gods and Kings are emblematic of a larger, systemic problem in the entertainment industry.
Movie Pilot
Director Ridley Scott recently set off a firestorm when he dismissed those who criticized him for casting white actors as every major character in the recently released Exodus: Gods and Kings, while reserving…
Police violence has dominated American headlines over the past year. The seemingly unaccounted-for police shooting of unarmed teenager Michael Brown in Ferguson brought renewed attention and public protests…
Controversial Liverpool striker Mario Balotelli is in hot water. Despite being the victim of online abuse, he has become a perpetrator of racist humour. Earlier in the season, the Italy forward faced a…
As Obama enters his ‘lame duck’ period, will he take flight?
EPA/E. Jason Wambsgans
On November 24, a grand jury in Ferguson, Missouri declined to indict white police officer Darren Wilson for fatally shooting an unarmed black teenager in August 2014. Although the outcome was hardly a…
Seattle protests the Ferguson grand jury decision.
Jason Redmond/Reuters
Last week on ABC’s This Week, President Obama said, “My own experience tells me race relations continue to improve,” and “There’s no way to say race relations are worse than 20, 50 years ago.” It’s impossible…
Research Fellow, Institute for Health & Sport, member of the Community, Identity and Displacement Research Network, and Co-convenor of the Olympic Research Network, Victoria University