Critical Evaluation of a Program to Foster Reflexive Antiracism

Abstract

This paper documents the evaluation of a three-day program entitled "Race, Culture, Indigeneity and the Politics of Disadvantage," which was delivered in 2010 in Melbourne, Australia with the aim of promoting Reflexive Antiracism (RA), a novel diversity training approach. To assess the impact of the program on its participants, the Reflexive Antiracism Scale-Indigenous (RAS-I) was devised and administered before and after the program both to participants and a matched control group. The program increased Reflexive Antiracism among participants through an enhanced understanding of whiteness, racialisation and White Racial Identity. Future studies are required to advance both the concept of Reflexive Antiracism and its measurement.

Drawing on antiracist approaches toward a critical antidiscriminatory pedagogy for nursing

“…In concert with the critiques of individualistic and multicultural approaches in nursing education, some authors have argued for a critical turn in cultural competence and the inclusion of concepts related to racism and other individual and systemic forms of discrimination in its conceptualization and in health professionals’ education (Almutairi & Rodney, ; Blanchet Garneau & Pepin, ; Herring, Spangaro, Lauw, & McNamara, ; Sakamoto, ). For example, strategies involving critical reflection (Blanchet Garneau, ) and reflexive antiracism training (Franklin, Paradies, & Kowal, ) have been presented as promising alternatives to multiculturalist education. These strategies include reflection upon the root causes and impacts of discrimination and racism in society while avoiding essentialist perspectives of culture.…”

San’yas Indigenous Cultural Safety Training as an Educational Intervention: Promoting Anti-Racism and Equity in Health Systems, Policies, and Practices

“…Ongoing evaluations of San'yas show that reactions to the program reflect a predictable continuum from deep appreciation of the insights gained to a high degree of resistance and sometimes negative reactions to key messages (Ward, 2018). These patterns are not unique to San'yas; they reflect a spectrum of responses that tend to follow predictable patterns whenever racism or colonization are addressed in educational training programs (Dei & McDermott, 2014;Franklin et al, 2014;Newton & Soltani, 2017;Okun, 2010;Sukhera et al, 2020;Ward, 2018). The key insights gained from evaluating the scale-up of San'yas over the past decade are relevant to anyone in policy or leadership positions who is considering implementing anti-racism educational interventions.…”

“…The potential for learners to experience discomfort, guilt, defensiveness, and resistance when asked to explore the implications of relative privilege and disadvantage is widely recognized in the educational literature. In health profession education contexts, for example, research shows that drawing attention to the assumptions and misconceptions that contribute to racializing discourses can sometimes incite resentment toward the very people who are vulnerable to these discourses (Browne, 2005;Browne & Varcoe, 2006;Fernando & Bennett, 2019;Franklin et al, 2014;Sukhera et al, 2020;Tang & Browne, 2008;Varcoe, 2006). This potential for reactivity presents significant challenges from a program delivery perspective and requires intentional, expert strategies to pre-empt harms that can arise from backlash or heightened resentments, or from feeling potentially powerless in the face of ongoing structural forces (Calliste & Dei, 2000;Dei & McDermott, 2014;Newton & Soltani, 2017;Roman, 1993;Vallianatos, 2018;Varcoe & McCormick, 2007).…”

Negotiating Aboriginal culture in the Australian mining industry: a case study of cultural awareness training

“…This kind of reflexivity has also been promoted in a recent training approach aimed at fostering 'reflexive anti-racism' amongst White people working in Indigenous affairs in Australia (Kowal et al, 2013;Franklin et al, 2014). The three-day program focuses on 'identity formation, knowledge production and cultural recognition' (Franklin et al, 2014:23), enabling participants to foster reflection and acceptance of the disjunction between their own racialised feelings and internalised anti-racist ideals (Kowal et al, 2013cited in Franklin et al, 2014.…”

“…A recent evaluation found, for example, the participants had a more sophisticated understanding of 'culture' after the program, from 'perceiving culture as something that can be restored to something in a process of continual change' (Franklin et al, 2014:35). However, the authors note that this conceptual framework needs further research to explore its potential (Franklin et al 2014 Indigenous people from the region to provide this training. Table 3 summarises the current types of training in the Australian mining industry.…”