Institutional Racism Research Articles

Immigrants in the Transnational Far Right: Integration through Racisms and Negotiating White Supremacy in a Migratory Context

Despite the historical and contemporary instances of immigrants and their descendants engaging with the far-right, whether through long-distance nationalism or country of residence politics, migration scholarship has surprisingly paid very little attention to this process. In this paper we argue that insufficient engagement with instances of the far-right attracting and mobilizing immigrants and ethnic minorities is a theoretical omission in both migration scholarship and scholarship of the far-right and is related to the reproduction of reified notions of “majority”’ and “minority,” normative assumptions about immigrants’ political activism as inevitably progressive, and methodological nationalism implicit in studying the far-right from a political science perspective. Through an analysis of a case study of Polish immigrants and their descendants in Britain, we demonstrate that these omissions can be bridged by paying more attention to relational processes of constructions of whiteness, the role of systemic racism, and the increasing transnationalization of the far-right. The cases we describe, captured through the notion of integration-through-racisms, are therefore a symptom of both increasing complexities of migration-driven diversity with threatened white privilege as the focus and dynamic changes in global far-right ideologies and strategies.

Digital Racism and Antiracism Toward Asian and Muslim Communities During the Covid-19 Pandemic: The Australian Experience

Australia witnessed a substantial degree of racism toward Asian and Muslim communities during the Covid-19 pandemic, much of which was shared and amplified on social media. However, while a growing body of national and international literature has illuminated the problem of racism during significant crisis events, limited studies have addressed how these narratives are both produced and resisted in online spaces. In this paper, I present the findings of a Thematic Content Analysis of how Asian and Muslim communities were constructed on Twitter/X during Australia's 2020–2021 lockdowns. Drawing on the literature surrounding Networked Counterpublics—and analyzed through a Systemic Racism lens—findings illuminate how publics used Twitter/X as a space to both legitimize and contest racist narratives relating to the pandemic, further demonstrating the power of social media as a vehicle for the amplification and resistance of racism during a significant global crisis.

Association Between Neighborhood Context and Psychotropic Polypharmacy Use Among High-Need Children.

The authors explored whether neighborhood context is associated with psychotropic polypharmacy and psychotherapy among a cohort of children with high needs for psychiatric and general medical care. Electronic health record data from a large health care system were used in a cross-sectional design to examine psychotropic polypharmacy and psychotherapy in 2015-2019 among children ages 2-17 years (N=4,017) with geocoded addresses. Inclusion criteria were a diagnosis of a mental health condition, an intellectual and developmental disability, or a complex medical condition and one or more clinical encounters annually over the study period. Polypharmacy was defined as two or more psychotropic drug class prescriptions concurrently for ≥60 days. Psychotherapy was defined as receipt of any psychotherapy or adaptive behavior treatment. Neighborhood context (health, environment, education, and wealth) was measured with the Child Opportunity Index. Multilevel generalized linear mixed models with random intercept for census tracts were used to assess the associations between individual and neighborhood characteristics and psychotropic polypharmacy and psychotherapy. Moderate (vs. low) child opportunity was associated with higher odds of polypharmacy (adjusted OR [AOR]=1.79, 95% CI=1.19-2.67). High (vs. low) child opportunity was associated with higher odds of psychotherapy (AOR=2.15, 95% CI=1.43-3.21). Black (vs. White) race (AOR=0.51, 95% CI=0.37-0.71) and Hispanic ethnicity (AOR=0.44, 95% CI=0.26-0.73) were associated with lower odds of polypharmacy. Among high-need children, neighborhood Child Opportunity Index, race, and ethnicity were significantly associated with treatment outcomes in analyses adjusted for clinical factors. The findings underscore concerns about structural disparities and systemic racism and raise questions about access.

Ancestry-independent risk of venous thromboembolism in individuals with sickle cell trait vs factor V Leiden

AbstractSickle cell trait (SCT) is a risk factor for venous thromboembolism (VTE). Prior studies investigating the association between SCT and VTE have been performed nearly exclusively in Black populations. However, race-based research can contribute to systemic racism in medicine. We leveraged data from the 23andMe research cohort (4 184 082 participants) to calculate the ancestry-independent risk of VTE associated with SCT as well as comparative risk estimates for heterozygous factor V Leiden (FVL). Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated using a meta-analysis of 3 genetic ancestry groups (European [n = 3 183 142], Latine [n = 597 539], and African [n = 202 281]) and a secondary full-cohort analysis including 2 additional groups (East Asian [n = 159 863] and South Asian [n = 41 257]). Among the full cohort, 94 323 participants (2.25%) reported a history of VTE. On meta-analysis, individuals with SCT had a 1.45-fold (confidence interval [CI], 1.32-1.60) increased risk of VTE compared with SCT noncarriers, which was similar to the full-cohort estimate. The risk of pulmonary embolism (PE) in SCT (OR, 1.95; CI, 1.72-2.20) was higher than that of isolated deep venous thrombosis (DVT; OR, 1.04; CI, 0.90-1.21). FVL carriers had 3.30-fold (CI, 3.24-3.37) increased risk of VTE compared with FVL noncarriers, with a higher risk of isolated DVT (OR, 3.59; CI, 3.51-3.68) than PE (OR, 2.72; CI, 2.64-2.81). In this large, diverse cohort, the risk of VTE was increased among individuals with SCT compared with those without, independent of race or genetic ancestry. The risk of VTE with SCT was lower than that observed in FVL; however, the pattern of VTE in SCT was PE predominant, which is the opposite to that observed in FVL.

Barriers to Healthcare Access for Black Communities in Kingston and London, Ontario

Healthcare access is recognized as a fundamental human right by the World Health Organization. In Canada, the Canada Health Act mandates equitable and accessible healthcare for all. However, many communities, particularly the Black community, continue to face significant barriers due to socioeconomic factors. These challenges are deeply rooted in systemic racism, socio-economic barriers, and cultural biases, which disproportionately impact the health outcomes of Black individuals. This study explores the specific barriers to healthcare access within the Black community using pre-existing qualitative data. We analyzed semi-structured interviews with 15 Black community members in Kingston and 10 in London, Ontario, using NVivo software to systematically code the data and identify key themes. Additionally, a literature review was conducted, which revealed recurring themes such as lack of culturally competent care, distrust of healthcare institutions, and economic barriers. The analysis of the interview data confirmed these themes and highlighted additional issues related to service type, time and availability, and experiences of racism and discrimination. Despite individual differences, these findings consistently emphasize the pressing need for targeted interventions and policy reforms to address these disparities. However, our study was constrained by the limited availability of race-based data in Canada, underscoring the urgent need for increased research and data collection to advocate for equitable healthcare access and monitor the effectiveness of health services for marginalized communities.

Negotiating University, Fulfilling the Dream: The Case of Black Students

The experiences of Black students in Canadian higher education shed light on the societal and institutional challenges that influence their social and economic aspirations. In today’s societal and economic context, obtaining a postsecondary education degree is not just preferred but essential for securing the employment opportunities that most young people desire. For Black communities in particular, a university degree is often seen as the primary pathway to upward social mobility. However, Black students’ journeys toward higher education are frequently hindered by systemic barriers and institutional challenges. While there is extensive literature detailing the systemic forces that obstruct access to higher education for Black Canadians, there is limited academic focus on how these forces continue to affect Black students once they enter higher education. This article addresses this gap by investigating the educational experiences of Black students in Canadian universities, emphasizing the challenges posed by systemic racism and institutional barriers. Utilizing data from interviews and focus groups with Black undergraduate and graduate students from a university in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA), the study explores how historical and contemporary issues of anti-Black racism shape their academic journeys. It discusses the broader implications of these experiences and highlights the need for comprehensive institutional reforms to create genuinely inclusive and equitable educational environments. By centering the voices of Black students, this research aims to contribute to the ongoing dialog on racial equity in higher education.

Fight the Power? How Black Adults’ Racial Capital Associates With Their Political Activities

Systemic racism explains historical and contemporary anti-black exclusion, violence, and exploitation in the United States. Yet, Black people routinely resist systemic racism’s effects. This study asks whether racial capital (i.e., Blacks’ belief in the significance of systemic racism) associates positively with political activities. It also attempts to replicate previous findings showing educational attainment directly predicts political activities. Finally, it asks whether educational attainment moderates the association between racial capital and political activities. Analyses of nationally representative data from the Outlook on Life Surveys, 2012, indicate racial capital associates positively with political activities. Further, educational attainment directly predicts political activities and seemingly attenuates racial capital’s positive association with political activities. However, racial capital associates positively with increased political activities among Black people with an associate degree or more.

Black women academics and intersectional erasure in the Netherlands

ABSTRACT Research on Black women academics’ experiences in the Netherlands is limited despite the growing population as well as public discussions about structural racism in academic institutions. Black women have navigated how to thrive from their own standpoints in the face of white supremacy, colonialism, and misogynoir, yet continue to face intersectional oppression and erasure in and outside of Dutch academia. Our qualitative analysis applies intersectionality methodology to better understand Black women academics’ lived experiences in the Netherlands. The data yielded from this study highlights four types of intersectional erasure: 1) Hyper Invisibility and Disposability of Black Femininity; 2) Hyper Visibility, Black Women Tropes and Respectability Politics; 3) Hypo Invisibility and Self Isolation as Preservation; and 4) Hypo Visibility, Black Mothering and Epistemic Violence. The findings from this study allow us to suggest several intersectional interventions to support Black women academic success in Dutch academia.

Racist targeting and denial in academia: the ineffectiveness of current policies and practices to address evolving forms of racism

ABSTRACT Studies on bullying and harassment in academia, investigative news reports, and surveys continue to find that reporting these incidents leads to retaliation. Contributing to this work, we apply the lens of systemic and everyday racism theory to a narrative analysis of 25 semi-structured interviews with faculty and staff of colour, who experienced racist targeting and how they addressed these issues formally and informally. We find that, rather than assist them with the harassment they faced, such policies created an additional layer of everyday racism, emotionally segregating experiences leading to isolation and withdrawal, and contributed to racism-evasiveness in academia. Our data expose weaknesses in the implementation of policies that do not reflect modern-day expressions of racism. We recommend individual and institutional changes to protect faculty and staff of colour who have challenged racist individuals and structures.

Experiences of adversity among high school students who have been suspended or expelled: Systemic racism, inequity, school and community violence.

Experiences of adversity among high school students who have been suspended or expelled: Systemic racism, inequity, school and community violence.

Anti-Black Racism and Soccer in Canada: Is It Because I’m Black, Ref?

This study critically examines the experiences of members of a sub-Saharan African men’s recreational soccer club with anti-Black racism in a Western Canadian city. Drawing from extensive ethnographic fieldwork, and working at the intersections of Critical Race Theory and Physical Cultural Studies, our analysis focuses on how team members navigate a racial hierarchy that privileges Whiteness and cements their status as outsiders through both overt and subtle forms of racism on the pitch, and the laborious, retraumatizing challenges of “proving” these racist incidents to those in positions of institutional power. We underline the need for anti-racist and anti-oppressive policies and training, and independent judiciaries to monitor and address racist incidents and systemic racism—and its intersections with other forms of oppression—in Canadian sport cultures.

Improving Pain Management for Marginalized Communities: Educating the Next Generation of Health Care Professionals

Inadequately managed pain has immense negative impacts on children, families, health care systems, and societies. Historically and presently, inadequately treated pain disproportionally affects marginalized communities. Deficiencies in pain education for health care providers are widely recognized as a leading contributor to poorly managed pain. Existing training for providers prioritizes physiological systems and pharmacological interventions for pain, despite decades of evidence supporting the biopsychosocial model and interdisciplinary treatment of pain. Moreover, education for health care providers rarely acknowledges the role of bias, prejudice, and systemic racism in perpetuating disparities in pain care. To address this gap, we sought to develop an innovative curriculum for health care teams to combat racial injustice related to pain management. This curriculum was developed and refined collaboratively with community partners representing diverse expertise, including lived experiences of pain, interdisciplinary pain management, cultural humility and authentic allyship, and curriculum development and evaluation. Four modules delivered across 1 to 2 hours were developed and pilot-tested extensively with multidisciplinary providers across a large pediatric health system. Learner feedback indicated high acceptability and informed iterative changes to the curriculum. Additional research is needed to examine impacts of the curriculum on health care provider knowledge and behavior (eg, clinical decision-making) and patient-reported outcomes as well as to test dissemination and implementation strategies. PerspectiveWe present the development and evaluation of a curriculum for health care professionals to combat racial injustice in pain management. By engaging diverse community partners, using design thinking, applying an antiracist lens, and designing for dissemination, we aim to equip the next generation of providers to deliver equitable pain care.

Learning to embrace discomfort: Accepting our historical responsibility and implication in systemic racism.

Learning to embrace discomfort: Accepting our historical responsibility and implication in systemic racism.

Making and measuring change in the food system: The perspectives of funders

Given the centrality of philanthropic funding to the work of nonprofit food access and food justice organizations, it is surprising how little we know about how foundations conceptualize and assess their grant-making across the food system. Based on an analysis of interviews with program officers at foundations that support food system interven­tions in New England, this paper describes founda­tions’ initial (and evolving) motivations for grant-making, the outcomes that they expect from investments, and the kinds of information that they see as convincing evidence for such outcomes. At the same time, it explores how program officers’ experiences of responding to the COVID-19 pan­demic and to contemporaneous calls to redress systemic racism have shaped their practices. This paper points to opportunities for new relationships between community-based organizations and foundations, especially as program officers ex­periment with practices of trust-based philan­thropy. It also highlights, however, the challenges posed by philanthropic board members’ assump­tions about quantifiable program outcomes and concerns about supporting overtly “political” work.

The Effect of Systemic Racism and Homophobia on Police Enforcement and Sexual and Emotional Violence among Sex Workers in East London: Findings from a Cohort Study

There is extensive qualitative evidence of violence and enforcement impacting sex workers who are ethnically or racially minoritized, and gender or sexual minority sex workers, but there is little quantitative evidence. Baseline and follow-up data were collected among 288 sex workers of diverse genders (cis/transgender women and men and non-binary people) in London (2018–2019). Interviewer-administered and self-completed questionnaires included reports of rape, emotional violence, and (un)lawful police encounters. We used generalized estimating equation models (Stata vs 16.1) to measure associations between (i) ethnic/racial identity (Black, Asian, mixed or multiple vs White) and recent (6 months) or past police enforcement and (ii) ethnic/racial and sexual identity (lesbian, gay or bisexual (LGB) vs. heterosexual) with recent rape and emotional violence (there was insufficient data to examine the association with transgender/non-binary identities). Ethnically/racially minoritized sex workers (26.4%) reported more police encounters partly due to increased representation in street settings (51.4% vs 30.7% off-street, p = 0.002). After accounting for street setting, ethnically/racially minoritized sex workers had higher odds of recent arrest (adjusted odds ratio 2.8, 95% CI 1.3–5.8), past imprisonment (aOR 2.3, 95% CI 1.1–5.0), police extortion (aOR 3.3, 95% CI 1.4–7.8), and rape (aOR 3.6, 95% CI 1.1–11.5). LGB-identifying sex workers (55.4%) were more vulnerable to rape (aOR 2.4, 95% CI 1.1–5.2) and emotional violence. Sex workers identifying as ethnically/racially minoritized (aOR 2.1, 95% CI 1.0–4.5), LGB (aOR 2.0, 95% CI 1.0–4.0), or who use drugs (aOR 2.0, 95% CI 1.1–3.8) were more likely to have experienced emotional violence than white-identifying, heterosexual or those who did not use drugs. Experience of any recent police enforcement was associated with increased odds of rape (aOR 3.6, 95% CI 1.3–8.4) and emotional violence (aOR 4.9, 95% CI 1.8–13.0). Findings show how police enforcement disproportionately targets ethnically/racially minoritized sex workers and contributes to increased risk of rape and emotional violence, which is elevated among sexual and ethnically/racially minoritized workers.

Individual and cultural differences in compassion, noticing suffering, and well‐being: Consequences of wanting to avoid feeling negative

AbstractAlthough people across the globe experience suffering, some individuals find it difficult to respond to others' distress because they might not know what would be most helpful to that person in that particular situation. For instance, would a response that focuses on the silver lining or one that acknowledges the suffering of the other person be more compassionate and helpful? In this paper, we demonstrate that the construct of avoided negative affect (ANA), the degree to which people want to avoid feeling negative, can predict individual differences and explain cultural variations in several aspects of compassion. Because ANA is a relatively new construct, we review research that focuses on concepts that are related to, but differ from ANA. Then, we summarize individual and cultural differences in ANA and their consequences for expressions of sympathy and compassion, conceptualizations of compassion, noticing suffering (including acknowledging suffering such as systemic racism), and well‐being. Across many studies conducted in various cultural contexts including Ecuador, Mexico, China, Japan, Germany, and the United States, ANA can partly explain cultural differences in different aspects of compassion. This work has important implications for cross‐cultural counseling, anti‐racism trainings, and conflict resolution. Noticing others' suffering and understanding what compassion entails for different people in different settings can result in treating others the way they want to be treated.

Enhancing the Integration of Race and Health Discussion in Physician Assistant Curriculum.

This article offers a unique perspective on integrating historical and contemporary issues of racism and public health within physician assistant (PA) education, specifically through the lens of personal experience as a public health data analyst during the COVID-19 pandemic. By highlighting the intersection of race, health equity, and education, this article underscores the need for PA programs to incorporate and enhance comprehensive training on the structural determinants of health and the impact of systemic racism on patient care.

A Critical Discourse Analysis of Mother-Child Relationships in Little Fires Everywhere: The Influence of Race and Social Class

Since the Great Migration in 1910, millions of African-Americans moved to Northern, Western, and Midwestern cities, prompting White flight to the suburbs in search of a racially homogeneous utopia. These suburban areas, rooted in discrimination, have a history of systemic racism. Little Fires Everywhere (2020), a Hulu mini-series based on Celeste Ng’s novel, explores these dynamics in a Midwestern suburb. Previous studies have linked race and class to motherhood in the series, revealing that racism often intertwines with structural disparities between ethnic groups. This paper examines the mother-daughter conflicts in Little Fires Everywhere, arguing that these conflicts arise not only from racial structures but also from the specific societal norms of suburban life. Using Fairclough’s (1989) three-dimensional Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) model, this study uncovers the ideologies embedded in dialogue, the power relations produced through language, and how these elements shape relationships. The analysis reveals that racial identities and social class significantly impact mother-daughter dynamics. The Richardsons’ conservative, upper-class status fosters a superficial and strained relationship, while the Warrens’ financial struggles lead to dissatisfaction and dishonesty. The study highlights how language in the series reflects and reinforces power dynamics, influencing the characters’ relationships.

The Role of President KH. Abdurrahman Wahid in Restoring the Legal Rights of Confucians in Indonesia: Policy Analysis and Its Impact (1999-2001)

This study analyzes the role of President KH. Abdurrahman Wahid in restoring the legal rights of Confucian adherents in Indonesia during the period 1999-2001. During the New Order era, Confucian adherents faced systematic discrimination that impacted various aspects of their lives, including education, civil registration, and freedom of worship. Through policies implemented by Gus Dur, such as the revocation of Presidential Instruction No. 14 of 1967 and the re-recognition of Confucianism as an official religion, this discrimination was successfully ended. The impact of these policies has been profoundly positive, providing freedom of worship, cultural recognition, and the restoration of civil rights for Confucian adherents. These policies also strengthened pluralism and religious tolerance in Indonesia.

Beyond physical and representational violence: the violence of Black children’s invisibility in public spaces

ABSTRACT George Floyd’s May 2020 murder by police underscored the interconnectedness of violence, systemic racism, and white supremacy in the US. This essay explores violence against Black children as an historical extension of the violence against Black adults and communities that is often at the centre of social justice and anti-racism work. We connect recent social media posts of Black children being ignored, waved away, or pushed by public amusement park performers with the current conservative political climate legislating the erasure or censoring of US history in K-12 schools allegedly to ‘save the [white] children’ from the misnamed ‘Critical Race Theory’.