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Not My Family: Understanding the Prevalence and Impact of Racism Beyond Individualistic Experiences

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Indigenous Children Growing Up Strong

Abstract

A substantial amount of national and international research addresses the topic of racism but there remains a limited literature base as to how it may be experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. This chapter uses LSIC data which explore parental perceptions of racism. Specific variables include the data captured by LSIC questions on parents’ interpersonal experiences of racism, their experiences of racism experienced within the family, and of their child being treated unfairly because of their Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander background. These perceptions are then mapped across varying situational contexts (including varying levels of relative disadvantage and remoteness), and investigated for racism associations with socio, cultural, and emotional wellbeing (e.g., depression, health, and cultural engagement). The results suggest the negative impact of racism is not only concentrated on lower levels of mental and physical health of the parents, but this impact is not limited to direct individual experiences of racism.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW, Australia

    Gawaian Bodkin-Andrews & Ruth Lovelock

  2. Deakin University, Burwood, VIC, Australia

    Yin Paradies

  3. University of Western Sydney, Penrith, NSW, Australia

    Nida Denson

  4. Department of Indigenous Studies, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW, Australia

    Corrinne Franklin

  5. Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia

    Naomi Priest

Authors
  1. Gawaian Bodkin-Andrews
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  2. Ruth Lovelock
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  3. Yin Paradies
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  4. Nida Denson
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  5. Corrinne Franklin
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  6. Naomi Priest
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Tasmania, Sandy Bay, Tasmania, Australia

    Maggie Walter

  2. Griffith University, Mt Gravatt, Queensland, Australia

    Karen L. Martin

  3. University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia

    Gawaian Bodkin-Andrews

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Bodkin-Andrews, G., Lovelock, R., Paradies, Y., Denson, N., Franklin, C., Priest, N. (2017). Not My Family: Understanding the Prevalence and Impact of Racism Beyond Individualistic Experiences. In: Walter, M., Martin, K., Bodkin-Andrews, G. (eds) Indigenous Children Growing Up Strong. Palgrave Macmillan, London. https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-53435-4_9

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/978-1-137-53435-4_9

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