An Examination of the Significance of the Concept of Internalised Racism in the Contemporary Australian Zeitgeist Adam Z. Seet
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An Examination of the Significance of the Concept of Internalised Racism in the Contemporary Australian Zeitgeist Adam Z. Seet B.SocScCoun (ACU), M.Coun (Monash), GradDip.EdRes (Monash) https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9563-9346 This thesis is submitted in total fulfilment of the requirements of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Date submitted: 30th November 2020 Melbourne Graduate School of Education The University of Melbourne ii Abstract This study investigates the usefulness of the concept of internalised racism (IR) in understanding issues of racism in contemporary Australian society. It does so via the lived experiences of 1.5 and 2nd generation Australians of East and Southeast Asian descent. The research consisted of multiple semi-structured interviews discussing experiences of racialisation and racism with each of the 17 participants. The study aimed to both utilise the concept of IR to understand the lived-experiences of the participants, and to determine how it could be revised for salience in the contemporary zeitgeist. Through the analysis of participants’ lived experiences, the study demonstrates that the concept of IR, whilst contested within the extant race scholarship, is nevertheless integral to understanding the structural impact of racism within the narratives. As such, in order to retain the concept of IR for contemporary salience, it needed to be revised to account for both psychological and sociological dimensions. Subsequently, the study demonstrated how revising the concept of IR impacts current dominant forms of anti-racist praxis. By acknowledging these limitations, the revised and rearticulated concept of IR was then applied to the narratives again to demonstrate its utility in better understanding contemporary experiences of racism. iii Declaration i. This thesis comprises only my original work toward the PhD; ii. Due acknowledgement has been made in the text to all other material used; iii. The thesis is fewer than 100,000 words in length, exclusive of tables, bibliographies, and appendices. Signed………………………………………………………………………………………….. Date……………………………………………………………………………………………..30th November 2020 iv Preface The research upon which this thesis is based was supported by an Australian Government Research Training Program Scholarship (RTS). Some of the chapters compiled in this thesis have been published elsewhere. Part of Chapters 2 and 4 appeared in a Youth Research Centre online report at the University of Melbourne in 2018. Part of Chapter 2 was published in the Journal of Intercultural Studies in 2019. Part of Chapter 3 was published with Ethnicities in 2021. A version of Chapter 6 was published in the Journal of Sociology in 2019. A version of Chapter 7 was published in the Cosmopolitan Civil Societies Journal in 2020, and an extended version was published with the Journal of Sociology in 2021. A version of Chapter 8 was published as part of a special issue in the Journal of Intercultural Studies in 2020. A full list of publications by the author that occurred during the duration of candidature is reflected below. Of publications that were co-authored, the author contributed to more than 80% of the overall work and original contribution. Seet, A. Z. (2018). Researching Race, Racism, And Internalised Racism in Australia. In H. Cuervo & J. Chesters (Eds.), Researching young lives: Methodologies, methods, practices and perspectives in youth studies (Volume No. 2). Retrieved from https://education.unimelb.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/2925770/MGSE- ResearchingYoungLives_Vol2.pdf Seet, A. Z., & Paradies, Y. (2018). Silenced Realities: The Significance of the "Old Racism" In Contemporary Australian Society. Journal of Australian Studies, 42(4), 445-460. doi:10.1080/14443058.2018.1528293 Seet, A. Z. (2019). Racialised Self-Marketisation: The Importance of Accounting for Neoliberal Rationality Within Manifestations of Internalised Racism. Journal of Intercultural Studies, 40(2), 155-171. doi:10.1080/07256868.2019.1577227 Seet, A. Z. (2019). Serving the White Nation: Bringing Internalised Racism Within A Sociological Understanding. Journal of Sociology, 1-18. doi:10.1177/1440783319882087 v Seet A. Z. (2020). Divide and Conquer: Gendered Divisions Within the Process of Internalised Racism. Journal of Intercultural Studies, 41(6), 677-693. doi:10.1080/07256868.2020.1831458 Seet A. Z. (2020). Surviving the Survival Narrative Part 1: Internalised Racism and the Limits of Resistance. Cosmopolitan Civil Societies Journal, 12(2-3), 179-193. doi.org/10.5130/ccs.v12.i2.7154 Seet A. Z., & Paradies, Y. (2021). Surviving the Survival Narrative Part 2: Internalised Racism and Whiteness-As-Utility. Journal of Sociology, 1-18. doi:10.1177/1440783321992859 Seet A. Z., & Zhao, A. (2021). The Paradox of Whiteness: Neoliberal Multiculturalism and The Case of Chinese International Students in Australia. Ethnicities, 1-23. doi:10/1177/1468796821991619 vi Acknowledgements I am indebted to my supervisor Professor Fazal Rizvi for his valuable philosophical insights on the entirety of the thesis, without which it could not have been written. Likewise, to my supervisor Professor Ghassan Hage, for his theoretical brilliance, and works of which I have been a close study of, often allowing it to influence my theoretical conceptualisations within this thesis. I would also like to thank the following people: To all of my participants, for their time and interest in the project, without which it could not be possible. To Professor Yin Paradies, for his intellectual guidance and excellent advice in the initial stage of the project, and subsequently providing keen insights of various pieces I have written. To Ms Hannah Garden, who has read everything I have written, and has had to endure countless hours of listening to my ideas in (arduous) conversation. To my uncle, Mr Muhammad Zaki bin Abdul Jalil, for first facilitating my intellectual journey into postcolonial thought. To Professor Helen Cahill, Professor Elizabeth McKinley, Dr Jessica Walton, Dr Sophie Rudolph, Dr Xinyu (Andy) Zhao, and Ms Claudine Lam, for having contributed in their own way to aspects of the project, either by providing theoretical advice, or by indulging me in conversations and hours of jouissance. And last, a message from a loving son. To Safiyah binte Jalil, my mother, I dedicate this thesis to you. May its completion be emblematic of the courage, resilience, and patience you exemplify. They are virtues you have imparted to me through your words and actions for 29 years, which I continue striving to embody. And they are the virtues you will undoubtedly use in continuing your battle with cancer. In even the deepest despair, one finds time for pause; though I weep for a life to be spared, may my strength mirror yours. vii Table of Contents Abstract .................................................................................................................................................. ii Declaration............................................................................................................................................ iii Preface ................................................................................................................................................... iv Acknowledgements .............................................................................................................................. vi Table of Contents ................................................................................................................................ vii Chapter 1: Introduction to an Examination of the Significance of the Concept of Internalised Racism in the Contemporary Australian Zeitgeist ............................................................................ 1 What is Internalised Racism? .......................................................................................................... 5 Criticisms of the Concept ................................................................................................................. 9 The Research Site ............................................................................................................................ 10 Tools for Studying IR ..................................................................................................................... 16 Thesis Structure .............................................................................................................................. 20 Chapter 2: Conceptualising Race and Internalised Racism ........................................................... 24 Conceptualising Race: An Anti-Realist Perspective .................................................................... 26 Origins of the Concept of Racism .................................................................................................. 27 Racism as Individual Prejudice ................................................................................................... 28 Racism as Institutional/ Structural Phenomenon ...................................................................... 30 The Three Forms of Racism ........................................................................................................ 33 Internalised Racism: Contestable Definitions .............................................................................. 35 Aetiological Considerations of IR: A Postcolonial Perspective ................................................... 40 Criticisms of the Concept of IR ....................................................................................................