Racial Discrimination Research Articles

The nexus between economic, demographic, policy and human development in South Africa: An econometric analysis

The Human Development Index, which accounts for both net foreign income and the total value of goods and services generated domestically, illustrates how income becomes less significant as Gross National Income (GNI) rises by using the logarithm of income. South Africa ranks 109th out of 189 countries in the Human Development Index (HDI) within the Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa (BRICS) economic bloc, raising long-term sustainability concerns. The study explores the relationship between economic, demography, policy indicators and human development in South Africa. South Africa’s unique status as a developing country within the BRICS economic group, alongside its lengthy history of racial discrimination, calls for a sophisticated approach to understanding Human Development. Existing research considered economic, demography, policy indicators independently; the gap of understanding their interconnection and long-term effects in the South African contexts exists. The study addresses the gap by using Autoregressive-Distributed Lag (ARDL) approach to investigate the short-term and the long-term relationship between economic, demography, policy indicators and human development in South Africa. By discovering these links, the study hopes to provide useful insights for policymakers seeking to promote sustainable human development in South Africa. The findings indicate that growth in GDP is a key factor in the HDI since it shows that there are more financial resources available for human development. By discovering these links, the study hopes to provide useful insights for policymakers seeking to promote sustainable human development in South Africa.

Wayang Potehi and the Resistance of the Chinese Ethnic Minority Group Against Racial Discrimination in Indonesia

Since the colonial era in Indonesia, the Chinese ethnic minority group has often experienced problems of racial discrimination in their lives. As a medium of resistance against racial discrimination, they utilize Wayang Potehi, Chinese glove puppets featured in stage performances. This qualitative research uses cultural identity theory and a critical ethnographic approach to find forms of racism and the implementation of Wayang Potehi as a resistance to racism. The results of this study show that the reason why the Chinese ethnic group uses Wayang Potehi by ignoring the truth of the knight figure is because in Java the Chinese ethnic group is a minority group that only relies on communication. Therefore, communication is built through the Wayang Potehi performance as a form of covert or symbolic resistance to the local community. In addition, the Chinese ethnic community also often experiences verbal violence in the form of insults or harassment.

Cultivating Critical Consciousness

Anti-Black racism, rooted in white supremacy, is a public health crisis in the US that infects and affects every aspect of life. Critical consciousness (CC) and its derivatives, such as Transformative Potential, have been elucidated as the antidote to the disease of white supremacy. Further, with the current focus on anti-racism and diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB) initiatives, strategies aimed at raising CC are becoming the norm. One strategy to develop critical consciousness is engaging in critical dialogue, difficult conversations that connect macro and micro contexts by exploring issues of power, privilege, and oppression. This paper considers a case study of participant data obtained from the critical dialogue component of Community Wise, an innovative, multilevel, behavioral health, group intervention grounded in critical consciousness theory. The purpose of the paper is to identify and discuss the best practices for critical dialogue facilitation that emerged via a qualitative analysis of the selected Community Wise sessions.

THE CHILD AS A VICTIM OF THE DIGITAL ENVIRONMENT

Objective: The objective of this study is to investigate the issue of the child as a victim in the digital environment The primary goal of this research is to focus on the cybercrimes that target children in the digital space and discuss the concept of criminal protection for children. Theoretical Framework: It highlights both classical and modern cybercrimes that children fall victim to, such as defamation, threats and stalking, identity theft and grooming, cyberterrorism, racial discrimination, violent games, and cyberbullying. Method: The study adopts the descriptive method, as it is the most suitable for this type of research, by analyzing and reviewing various sources related to the subject, including previous studies, laws, and regulations, as well as international agreements such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the Budapest Convention, the Arab Charter on the Rights of the Child, and the European Social Charter. Additionally, it examines local legislations in countries like Algeria, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. Results and Discussion & Research Implications: The study concluded with several findings, including that children are easily accessible and manipulable victims. Originality/Value: The paper also discusses the challenges of implementing mechanisms to protect children in the digital environment and concludes with recommendations to enhance the use of modern digital technologies to protect children, the victims of the digital environment, from potential risks.

Protection of racism from the anti-racism movement: taking colorblindness racial discrimination as an example

After the emergence of many great anti-racism movements, the supporters of traditional racism have significantly decreased. However, racism, or more precisely, liberal racism, including its specific form - color-blind racism, has replaced traditional racism and still exists in large numbers in society. Racism seems to have found new ways of survival in anti-racism concepts such as liberal racism and color blindness. To analyze the new forms of racism that exist in today’s society, this article takes colorblindness racism as the analytical object. Starting from the dual role of color blindness in the anti-racism movement, it points out that a large number of new forms of racism are prevalent under the guise of anti-racism, revealing the challenges and limitations faced in current anti-racism activities in order to provide assistance for future anti-racism work.

Application of the Int'l Conv. for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism & of the Int'l Conv. on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discr. (Ukr. v. Russ.) (Merits) (I.C.J.)

On January 31, 2024, marking the tenth anniversary of the Russo-Ukrainian war, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) delivered its eagerly anticipated judgment on the merits in Ukraine v. Russia concerning alleged violations of the International Convention for the Suppression of the Financing of Terrorism (ICSFT) and the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination (CERD). This was the first case lodged by Ukraine against Russia back in 2017, in response to alleged numerous violations arising from Russia's occupation of Crimea and its proxy war in Donbas. Although Ukraine might have hoped for a more favourable outcome, the majority only established narrow and rather minor violations under ICSFT and CERD, despite a plethora of claims advanced by Ukraine under both Conventions. A 13:2 majority found that Russia violated Article 9, paragraph 1 of ICSFT due to its failure to investigate individuals who allegedly committed terrorism financing offences upon receiving the information from Ukraine. As for CERD, another 13:2 majority found that Russia violated Articles 2, paragraph 1(a), and 5(e)(v) of the Convention with regard to the implementation of school education in the Ukrainian language in Crimea. In addition, an 11:4 majority found that Russia violated the provisional measures order, which obliged Russia to lift restrictions on the Mejlis, the highest representative executive organ of Crimean Tatars in Crimea banned by Russian authorities, and imposed the non-aggravation measure. The judges were divided on the scope of the non-aggravation measure, and questioned the appropriateness of establishing the violation of the provisional measures order in part concerning the Mejlis in the absence of the majority's finding of the corresponding violation under CERD on the merits.

Parents' color-conscious racial socialization and adolescents' racial attitudes: the moderating role of parental psychological control

IntroductionThe present two-wave longitudinal study examined the relation between White U.S. parents' color-conscious racial socialization for African Americans and adolescents' racial attitudes, and explored how parental psychological control might moderate this relation.MethodParticipants included 412 White U.S. adolescents (42% girls; Mage = 15.63 years, SD = 1.24) and their primary caregivers (52% mothers). They completed online questionnaires, with parents reporting on their color-conscious racial socialization at Time 1, and adolescents providing measures of their perception of parents' psychological control at Time 1, color-blind attitudes, and racial prejudice at both time points, ~16 months apart.ResultsOur findings revealed that parents' color-conscious racial socialization for African Americans was negatively associated with adolescents' negative racial attitudes. Additionally, parental psychological control moderated this relation: the negative association was evident only when parents exhibited low or average levels of psychological control.DiscussionThis study highlights the crucial role parents play in shaping their adolescents' racial attitudes and underscores the necessity of an autonomy-supportive environment to enhance the success of parents' color-conscious socialization practices. Understanding these dynamics is essential for developing effective interventions to reduce racial biases and foster inclusive attitudes among adolescents.

Migrant housing struggle and racial discrimination: The case of postsocialist Leipzig and Riga

The civic mobilisation welcoming Ukrainian refugees after Russia’s invasion in February 2022 has shown how housing is a social infrastructure based on care and solidarity. But it has also shown its discriminatory face. By drawing on our recent collaborative research in Leipzig and Riga and conceptual reflections from previous research, this paper elaborates on how practices of welcoming and housing refugees intertwine with state racism and everyday discrimination. It is grounded in two intersecting lines of inquiry. The first one focuses on migrant housing struggles in the context of increased financialisation, privatisation and austerity urbanism. The second expands on the intersection of race and discrimination with housing, asking how race and racial discrimination intersect and affect migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers’ access to and experiences with housing. The underlying argument is that while housing is the site where this type of discrimination becomes spatialised and visible (and thus can be challenged), there is still a missing discourse around discrimination in migration and housing policy.

Racism in inpatient settings in Germany: professionals’ perspectives

Abstract Background Experiences of racial discrimination during healthcare encounters have increasingly been recognised as a source of health inequity. Narrative accounts by racialised healthcare users have dominated research in the field but it is equally important to capture the perceptions and practices of professionals to understand how racism operates in healthcare provisioning. This presentation asks: how does racism manifest in the German inpatient healthcare system (hospitals, rehabilitation facilities), and are there areas or phases of healthcare provisioning where racism is observed more frequently? Methods Problem-centred expert interviews (Döringer 2021) with 20 healthcare professionals from medicine, nursing, and therapeutic professions working in hospitals or rehabilitation facilities across three German federal states. Data were analysed using documentary method (Bohnsack 2002). Results Racism occurs widely in German inpatient settings. It manifests both structurally, e.g. in the absence of professional translators for healthcare users with limited German skills, and interpersonally, e.g. in the form of microaggressions and stereotyping but also the witholding of treatment and verbal abuse. Targets of racism are both patients and staff, especially internationally recruited healthcare workers. Respondents thereby identify night shifts, psychiatric settings and the emergency ward as contexts where racism is more likely to occur. The hierarchical nature of and pervasive power asymmetries in hospitals thereby prevent effective interventions against racial discrimination. Conclusions Racism in German healthcare institutions requires multiscalar public health interventions, particularly at the level of the institutions themselves. These include the establishment of a robust and low-threshold complaints structure, spaces for self-reflection for professionals, and mandatory anti-racism training rather than a focus on diversity-sensitive competence. Key messages • In future research approaches, structurally determined reproductions of racism should be investigated using a multi-method approach. • Experiences of powerlessness are reported by both those affected by racism and those professionals who observe racism and should be addressed by the institutions.

The relational institution: an ethnographic study of recovery orientation and relational engagement on a psychiatric rehabilitation ward in London

BackgroundIn the UK, inpatient psychiatric rehabilitation services for complex psychosis aim to provide recovery-orientated treatment to patients, with the goal of supporting sustained stepdown into community living. The extent to which rehabilitation services uphold this recovery orientation is associated with better outcomes. However, few studies have been able to ascertain what promotes or prevents recovery orientation in inpatient settings.MethodsWe conducted an ethnographic study of treatment on a National Health Service (NHS) psychiatric rehabilitation ward in London over six months during August 2022-February 2023. Data were collected through participant observation and semi-structured interviews with 9 patients and 14 staff members. Fieldnotes and interview transcripts were analysed using situational analysis.ResultsOur analysis highlights the importance of what we term ‘relational engagement’ between staff and patients to nurture and sustain recovery-orientated treatment. This relational engagement was embodied through small acts of genuine human connection grounded in mutual acceptance and affective bonding; close attention to detail that communicated curiosity and respect; and recognition, appreciation, and encouragement of the slow and gradual progress that characterises recovery in complex psychosis. Yet, this relational engagement was often limited or foreclosed by the social environment of the ward and the wider institutional context. Limiting elements included the dominance of hospital logics geared towards high-throughput acute treatment and risk management; the presence of audit culture that led to a level of standardisation curtailing more genuine human connection; and staff demoralisation driven by events on and off the ward, including system-wide crises and more localised conflicts and disturbances. Some of these conflicts involved discrimination, most prominently anti-Black racism and homophobia, reflecting wider structural inequalities that characterise inpatient psychiatric populations and the healthcare workforce.ConclusionRelationships, often under-prioritised in mental health services, were a key cornerstone of recovery-orientated treatment on a psychiatric rehabilitation ward. The shaping of therapeutic relationships amounted to an active process of relational engagement, which may be afforded or constrained by complex social elements requiring careful consideration in inpatient psychiatry. These social elements go beyond more surface-level factors such as staff training, knowledge, or attitudes and may require structural and system-level interventions.

Reflecting (on) power?Critical reflections by healthworkers in Germany on racial power and privilege

Abstract Background Healthcare users have increasingly reported on experiences of racial discrimination in healthcare encounters in Germany (Aikins et al. 2020). While research on the experiences of racialised users predominates, examining the perspectives of white professionals, especially those holding positions of authority, regarding their internalised stereotypes and discriminatory practices is also crucial. This study therefore investigated the prevalence of conscious or unconscious biases related to critical whiteness and anti-racism among healthcare workers (doctors, nurses and therapists) and how these attitudes shaped their professional practice. Methods Problem-centred expert interviews (Döringer 2021) with 20 healthcare professionals from medicine, nursing, and therapeutic professions working in hospitals or rehabilitation facilities across three German federal states. Data were analysed using documentary method (Bohnsack 2002). Results Respondents exhibited varying degrees of reflective abilities, and there are limited opportunities for structured self-reflection focused on recognizing and addressing racism. The research interview constituted a much-needed space for such reflection. Those who are sensitised about their own positions of privilege often are so due to external influences and personal trajectories (teenaged children, trade union activism) rather than through the values or structures of their institutions. Unconscious racism nonetheless still manifests, demonstrating the need to create more inclusive environments where critical self-reflection on racism is encouraged. Conclusions To effectively combat racism, German healthcare institutions must systematically implement anti-racist and intersectional interventions. This also entails creating spaces for reflection where staff can openly examine and acknowledge their own biases, fostering an environment conducive to collective action for promoting anti-racist workplace practices. Key messages • Opportunities for self-reflection critical of racism should also be offered across institutions in order to ensure trusting, non-hierarchical spaces. • Reflections on one’s own social positioning and privileges are not common in all circles, so the necessity of this attitude should be communicated in an error-friendly manner.

Critical Race Theory in Literature: In The Blood By Suzan-Lori Parks

This study seeks to explore the fundamental principles of Critical Race Theory (CRT) and to use it as an analytical tool in order to discuss Suzan-Lori Parks’s play, In The Blood. Through the key tenets of CRT such as the systematic racism, race as a social construct, intersectionality and power structures, it is framed a comprehensive theoretical background for a literary analysis. Relatedly, the primary focus of this study is to deeply analyze race, gender, power relations and socio-economic conditions with CRT through the playwright’s innovative representation of blackness. CRT clearly shows that racism is constructed through discriminative practices and sustained by law and institutions resulting in justification and accordingly normalization of oppression. In line with CRT’s main concerns, In The Blood embodies societal and ideological barriers and the dehumanization of black female bodies through social judgment, racial and gender discrimination, and motherhood. CRT essentially deals with how Parks reconstructs traditional narratives of guilt, shame, and femininity and claims that Hester is portrayed both as a victim of intersectional oppression and an individual struggling with the harsh conditions of life.

Prior exposure to racial discrimination and patterns of acute parasympathetic nervous system responses to a race-related stress task among Black adults.

Black adults' prior exposure to racial discrimination may be associated with their acute parasympathetic reactivity to and recovery from a new race-related stressor. Existing analytical approaches to investigating this link obscure nuances in the timing, magnitude, and patterns of these acute parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) responses. In a re-analysis of a prior study, we utilize an hidden Markov model (HMM) approach to examine how prior experiences of racial discrimination are associated with intraindividual patterns of (1) physiological states of PNS activity and (2) patterns of and variability in transitions between these physiological states. Participants (N = 118) were Black young adults (range 18-29 years; Mage = 19.67, SDage = 2.04) who completed an online survey to index prior racial discrimination exposure, followed by an in-person lab visit during which their PNS activity in response to a race-related stress task was measured via electrocardiogram and converted into respiratory sinus arrhythmia. HMMs indicated evidence for two states: baseline and a second state representing a significant reduction in respiratory sinus arrhythmia. Most participants (93.22%) demonstrated a blunted response to the task, indicating that they did not transition from baseline during the procedure. Prior racial discrimination was not associated with HMM states or state transition parameters. Blunted physiological responses may be an important area of future investigation that could inform early life course mental and physical health screenings.

THE PORTRAYAL OF BLACK FEMINISM IN GARY GRAY'S SET IT OFF THROUGH CRITICAL RACE THEORY

Stories in films are based on social realities in people's lives, embedding messages behind them. Each film is packed with unique characters, events and issues reflecting aspects of life from a particular perspective. One of which is the principles of black feminism in the main characters and to analyze how economic and racial factors influence the character's decision to confront existing injustices depicted in Gary Grey’s Set It Off (1996). The method used is a qualitative research method. Data collection is conducted to sort and understand the research topic by using data from scenes, dialogues, words, and phrases obtained from the film. The main theories used in this research are the Critical Race theory by Kimberlé Crenshaw and the Feminist Economics theory by Marilyn Waring. The findings reveal that the film encompasses principles of black feminism such as racial discrimination, sexism and social class which are portrayed by each main character in the film. This article also depicts the influence of economic and racial factors on the character's decisions in confronting existing injustices. Analyzing this film aims to trigger and enrich the analysis of how films depict the struggle of black women with various problems, especially racial and economic issues.

Morrison’s The Bluest Eye and the Myth of Persephone: An Ecofeminist Critique

ABSTRACT This article examines Morrison’s appropriation of the Persephone myth in The Bluest Eye to highlight patriarchal exploitation of women and nature, drawing parallels between environmental degradation and violence against women. The myth, which typically symbolizes life, death, and rebirth, is appropriated to critique racial and gender-based violence against African American women, especially in the mid-20th century. I contend that Morrison’s The Bluest Eye reimagines the protagonist, Pecola Breedlove, as a contemporary Persephone, ensnared in a cycle of abuse. However, unlike Persephone, who gains wisdom through her ordeal, Pecola spirals into madness, emblematic of a thwarted mother-daughter redemption arc. Morrison contrasts the myth’s fertility and rejuvenation themes with Pecola’s racial discrimination and self-loathing, epitomized by her desire for blue eyes.

Black Women in Medical Education Publishing: Bibliometric and Testimonio Accounts Using Intersectionality Methodology.

Black women in academic medicine experience racial and gender discrimination, all while being tasked with improving a flawed system. Representation of Black women in medicine remains low, yet they bear the burden of fostering diversity and mentoring trainees, exacerbating their minority tax and emotional labor, and negatively impacting career progression. To complement qualitative accounts of Black women authors in the medical education literature with a quantitative account of their representation. We used statistical modeling to estimate the representation of Black women authors in medical education publishing as compared to other groups. An intersectional methodology employing bibliometric analysis and testimonio reflection. US-based authors of journal articles published in medical education journals between 2000 and 2020. Author race was determined using a probability-based algorithm incorporating US Census data, and author gender was ascribed using Social Security Administration records. We conducted two negative binomial generalized linear models by first and last author publications. Metadata for each article was retrieved from Web of Science and PubMed to include author names, country of institutional affiliation, and Medical Subject Headings (MeSH). Results were contextualized via the "testimonio" account of a Black woman author. Of 21,945 unique authors, Black women (and other racially minoritized groups) published far fewer first and last author papers than white women and men. In addition, major MeSH terms used by Black women authors reveal little overlap with highly ranked medical education topics. The testimonio further narrated struggles with belonging and racial identity. This study revealed that Black women are underrepresented in medical education publishing. We believe that dismantling oppressive structures in the publishing ecosystem and the field is imperative for achieving equity. Additionally, further experiential accounts are needed to contextualize this quantitative account and understand underrepresentation in medical education publishing.

The Understanding America Study (UAS)

PurposeThe Understanding America Study (UAS) is a probability-based Internet panel housed at the Center for Economic and Social Research at the University of Southern California (USC). The UAS serves as...

Links Between Racial Discrimination and College Student Mental and Physical Health: Examination of Parent-Youth Relationships as Protective Factors

Links Between Racial Discrimination and College Student Mental and Physical Health: Examination of Parent-Youth Relationships as Protective Factors

Racism, Attachment Styles, and Mental Health among Asian American Adolescents

Theory suggests that a secure base can moderate the effects of racism on mental health outcomes among people of Color (Mikulincer & Shaver, 2022). Thus, the current study tested this hypothesis with a sample of 301 Asian American adolescents who completed a 25-minute online survey. Two hierarchical multiple regression models examined whether secure, anxious, and avoidant attachment with mothers and fathers moderated the link between racism and mental health. We found that when Asian American adolescents reported frequent experiences of racism, secure attachment with fathers was not enough to mitigate the effects of racism. Specifically, simple slopes indicated that at high and moderate levels of secure attachment with fathers, adolescents reported slightly better mental health with few racism experiences but indicated a slight decrease in mental health with frequent racism experiences. Findings highlight the importance of dismantling racial discrimination to support Asian American adolescents’ mental health.

Using a Phenomenological and Fanon Analytic: A Methodological Framework and Method for Research with Impoverished Black Male Youth

While there is a good amount of general literature on the experiences of Black men in Canada, there is a paucity of empirical data regarding the specific lived experiences of first- and second-generation, Canadian-born, impoverished Black young men (ages 15–29). Black male youth are often impoverished due to anti-Black racism and classism, which together further social and economic barriers. While many methods of data collection and analysis provide a useful snapshot of the experiences of young Black men, many traditional methods are unable to highlight the nuance that lies in complex intersections of identity for Black young men experiencing poverty and un(der)employment. This article demonstrates the success of practices rooted in phenomenology to understand and articulate the unique, heterogeneous lived experiences of first- and second-generation impoverished Black young men who utilize youth employment training programs in three Canadian cities. Further, this article demonstrates how using Frantz Fanon’s scholarly work and applied phenomenology can inform future research on Black and other underserved youth who face complex marginalization.