Silenced Realities: The Significance of the “Old Racism” in Contemporary Australian Society

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis article revisits the “old/new” conceptualisation of racism within race scholarship from Western liberal democracies. Contemporary race scholars argue that racism in Australia, when not denied among the populace at large, is marked by subtle and covert forms. Often termed the “new” racism, these “racisms” are categorised as founded upon a belief in cultural superiority, where the particular out-group's supposed values are held against “Australian values” and deemed incompatible or inferior. This shift in Australian race scholarship is often contrasted against the “old” racism, defined as expressions of racism overtly delivered and based upon a belief in a biological and genetically inherent racial hierarchy. In drawing upon both global and historical enactments of white supremacist racism, and viewing this particular form of racism as always an amalgamation of religio-cultural and biological ascriptions of inferiority of the Other, along with being overt/covert in delivery, this article seeks to highlight the limitations inherent within the terms old and new when conceptualising racism. The experiences of three main racially minoritised out-groups in contemporary Australian society are utilised to illustrate the contemporary significance of the supposed old racism, signalling a call towards better representation within Australian race scholarship for these often under-represented groups.