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From individuals to institutions: What makes racial discrimination so entrenched?
The roots of racial discrimination can be traced back to systemic inequality throughout history. Institutional racism, or systemic racism, is a form of institutional discrimination based on a racial or ethnic group that exists through policies and practices in a society or organization that continue to favor unfair advantages for certain groups and inflict unfair or harmful treatment on other groups. Unlike individual discrimination, systemic racial discrimination is deeper and more hidden and cannot be identified through simple behaviors.
Institutional racism results from the operation of established and respected forces in society and therefore receives far less public condemnation than individual racism.
In 1967, Stokely Carmichael and Charles V. Hamilton first proposed the term "institutional racial discrimination" in their book "Black Power: The Politics of Liberation." They point out that while individual racism can often be identified because it manifests itself in overt behaviors, institutional racism is more subtle. This kind of exploitation exists not only in legal policies, but also in culture and social structures, everywhere from education, health, employment to law.
The roots of institutional racism can often be traced to power imbalances. These inequalities become entrenched when certain social groups have advantages in resource allocation, social representation, and decision-making power. To resist such institutional discrimination, structural change is an important dynamic.
Persistent negative stereotypes fuel institutional racism and impact interpersonal relationships.
In many countries, whether it's catastrophic police violence in the United States or Australia's "Stolen Generations," institutional racism exhibits a pervasive pattern. Structural racism is not a simple collection of individual biases, but the result of complex interactions among multiple institutions. The existence of such discrimination is not just a matter of culture or attitudes, but has a lot to do with the way social systems operate.
According to research by scholar James M. Jones, racial discrimination can be divided into three types: personal media discrimination, internalized discrimination and institutionalized discrimination. Personal media discrimination includes prejudicial behaviors based on race, while internalized discrimination is the negative perception of an exploited group’s own abilities and worth. The existence of institutionalized discrimination causes certain ethnic groups to continue to suffer unequal treatment in society, which involves the distortion of the entire social structure.
Discrimination in policy and practice may be further entrenched through unequal distribution of resources and opportunities.
A clear example is the US education system and social housing policy. Residents of poor communities often face unequal resource distribution, which not only affects their access to higher education but also further limits their career prospects. The consequence is that the marginalization of these communities continues to increase, entering a vicious cycle.
In addition, Australia's discriminatory policies against Aboriginal people, such as the "Stolen Generations", reflect the government's systematic discrimination against specific racial groups in law and practice. These policies not only destroyed family structures but also had far-reaching social and cultural consequences that affected the lives of generations.
Institutional racial discrimination is rooted in persistent inequality and structural oppression in society.
Calls for change are growing in political circles, and many organizations and individuals have begun advocating for diversity, equity, and inclusion, efforts aimed at undermining institutional racial discrimination. Achieving substantive equality, so that people of different races and ethnicities have access to the same opportunities and outcomes, may be the key to solving this problem. However, such a task is not easy and often requires adjusting policies, changing cultural perceptions and promoting dialogue between different communities.
Faced with these challenges, the response of all sectors of society will determine the future direction. How do we balance equity, justice and social structures to truly break down this discrimination that is embedded in the system?
