Anti-racism glossary

Bias: refers to prejudice in favour of or against a person or group compared with

another, usually in a way that is unfair. Biases may be held by an individual,
group, or institution and can have negative or positive consequences.

Ethnicity/ethnic origin: generally understood to refer to large groups of people

categorised according to shared culture, religion, language or national
background. Ethnicity is usually associated with cultural expression and
identification.

Institutional racism: encompasses the policies, practices and procedures that

inform and direct the everyday operation of organisations, businesses and
enterprises.

Interpersonal racism: occurs during interactions between individuals and can

include making negative comments about a particular ethnic group calling others
racist names, and bullying, hassling or intimidating others because of their race.

Misconception: a view a person holds without having enough information, but

which they are willing to change following new evidence. In contrast, prejudice
exists when a person is unwilling to change their views, even when presented
with new insights.

Race: broadly understood to refer to people who share distinctive physical

features, believed to be common among people of shared ancestry. Race is often
perceived as something that is inherent in our biology and inherited across
generations, like skin colour, eye shape and hair texture.

Racial prejudice: a judgement or attitude, usually negative, towards someone

because of physical or cultural attributes, without knowing any other information
about them. Racial prejudice typically comes from race-based stereotypes.

Racial profiling: a disproportionate or unreasonable action taken apparently for

reasons of safety, security or public protection that targets an individual more
harshly than others based on their race, colour, or ethnicity.

Racial stereotyping: involves linking the same characteristics to all members of

a racial group or assumed racial group, without paying attention to individual
differences.

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Xenophobia: "attitudes, prejudices and behaviour that reject, exclude and often
vilify persons, based on the perception that they are outsiders or foreigners to the
community, society or national identity”. It refers to an unreasoned and irrational
fear of those who are different or foreign.

Structural racism: a term often used to describe inequalities and barriers that
prevent people from accessing equal opportunities within a society. It refers to
the kinds of racism that operate deep within the social structures of society.

Systemic racism: often used interchangeably with institutional racism and

structural racism, an umbrella term for the type of racism that is embedded in
accepted practices and policies.

Australian Human Rights Commission Anti-racism eLearning course, 2023