Race and Racism in Australia

Australia is a nation that has been profoundly shaped by European settler colonisation, the White Australia Policy, and the fiction of terra nullius. In this subject, students will examine race and racism in contemporary Australia. They will be introduced to theoretical tools from sociology to understand how race and racism operate in Australia, who benefits from racism, and why racism is difficult to change. Students will have opportunities to carefully examine situations faced by First Nations people in their fight for sovereignty and justice, anti-migrant racisms, and how race, a social construction, is constantly shifting. Through this examination, students will discuss anti-racism efforts, why most are ineffective, and what might be more effective.