Terms Related to Race
A
- Anti-Colonialism
Describes resistance to colonial rule, ideology, and structures of domination. It encompasses political movements, intellectual traditions, and cultural practices that seek to reclaim autonomy, knowledge, and identity from colonial oppression. In contemporary contexts, anti-colonial approaches challenge ongoing colonial legacies within institutions and promote the centring of Indigenous and Global Majority voices, knowledge systems, and lived experiences.
- Anti-Racism
Refers to the active process of recognising, challenging, and opposing racism in all its forms. It goes beyond simply being “non-racist” by requiring individuals and institutions to identify, call out, and work to dismantle racist attitudes, behaviours, policies, and systems. Anti-racism involves ongoing self-reflection, education, and action to create equitable environments and to address both overt and structural forms of racial injustice. The image below is by Andrew M. Ibrahim and reflects his journey toward becoming Anti-Racist.
C
- Colonialism
Refers to the historical and ongoing practice whereby one nation or group exerts political, economic, and cultural control over another, often through conquest, occupation, and exploitation. Colonialism involves the domination of Indigenous or local populations, the extraction of resources, and the imposition of the coloniser’s language, values, and systems of governance. Its legacies persist through structural inequalities, epistemic hierarchies, and global power imbalances that continue to shape education, health, and society today.
- Colourblind(ness)
Refers to a racial ideology or approach that claims the best way to achieve equality is by treating everyone the same, without acknowledging race, culture, or ethnicity. While often intended to promote fairness, colourblindness is problematic because it de-emphasises or ignores the significance of race as an integral part of personal and social identity. By overlooking how racism and structural inequalities shape people’s lived experiences, it fails to address the real impact of discrimination. Colourblindness is often linked to “post-racial” thinking, which denies the continuing importance of race and ethnicity in shaping opportunity, belonging, and equity. (See also: Post-Racial)
- Cultural Competence
Refers to the ability to understand, communicate with, and interact effectively with people from different cultural backgrounds. It involves developing awareness of one’s own cultural worldview, gaining knowledge of others’ cultural practices and perspectives, and applying this understanding in professional and interpersonal contexts. However, cultural competence is considered a problematic term, as it implies that culture is a fixed body of knowledge that can be mastered or “completed.” This risks oversimplifying complex, dynamic cultural identities and reinforcing stereotypes.
- Cultural Humility
An ongoing process of self-reflection and lifelong learning in which individuals critically examine their own cultural identities, biases, and assumptions. It involves recognising and addressing power imbalances, valuing others’ cultural perspectives, and engaging with respect, openness, and curiosity. Unlike cultural competence, which implies mastery of knowledge about others, cultural humility emphasises continual growth, mutual learning, and accountability in cross-cultural interactions.
- Culture
Refers to the shared patterns of behaviour, belief, and understanding that are learned and transmitted within a group of people. These patterns, developed both consciously and unconsciously, shape how individuals think, communicate, and interact. Culture is expressed through language, traditions, values, art, food, religion, clothing, and other social practices that collectively define a community’s way of life.
D
- Decolonising or Decolonisation
In education and research, decolonising involves critically examining and transforming practices, curricula, and systems that reflect or perpetuate colonial perspectives and power imbalances. This includes diversifying the voices, languages, and knowledge sources represented; recognising non-Western and Indigenous scholarship; and challenging assumptions that privilege Eurocentric narratives. Decolonising practice promotes inclusive knowledge production and ensures that multiple worldviews and lived experiences are valued and integrated into learning and research
- Diaspora
Describes a community or population that lives away from its ancestral homeland yet maintains emotional, cultural, or familial connections to it. Members of a diaspora often navigate complex relationships between their heritage and the societies in which they reside, shaping unique and hybrid cultural identities.
E
- Ethnicity
Refers to a shared sense of identity within a group based on common cultural traits such as ancestry, language, history, traditions, religion, or customs. Unlike race, which is often socially constructed around physical characteristics, ethnicity emphasises cultural affiliation and belonging. An individual may identify with more than one ethnic group, and expressions of ethnicity can evolve over time and across different social or national contexts.
I
- Indigenous Peoples
Refers to communities that have historical continuity with pre-colonial societies and distinct cultural, linguistic, or spiritual traditions connected to specific lands or territories. While definitions vary across contexts, self-identification is a central criterion recognised internationally. It is important to use the terminology preferred by the Indigenous community concerned and to respect the diversity of Indigenous identities, traditions, and knowledge systems.
P
- Post-Racial
Refers to the notion or belief that society has moved beyond racism and that race no longer plays a significant role in shaping people’s experiences, opportunities, or social outcomes. While often framed as a vision of equality, the idea of a post-racial society is widely criticised for denying the continued existence of racial inequalities and systemic racism. By suggesting that race is no longer relevant, post-racial thinking can obscure the structural and institutional factors that sustain racial disparities and hinder genuine progress towards racial equity. (See also: Colourblind(ness))
R
- Race
as identified in the Equality Act 2010, race is one of the nine protected characteristics. It refers to a group of people defined by their colour, nationality (including citizenship), ethnic or national origins. However, race is also recognised as a social construct term rather than a biological reality. The concept has historically been used to categorise and hierarchise people based on perceived physical differences, often to justify discrimination, colonisation, and unequal power structures. Although race has no scientific basis, it continues to shape social identities, experiences, and outcomes through the operation of systemic and structural racism.
- Racially Minoritised
A term used to describe groups who have been socially, politically, or institutionally positioned as minorities through processes of racialisation, rather than by numerical population size. It highlights that “minority” status is not inherent but constructed through systems of power and inequality. The term racially minoritised is preferred over ethnic minority as it acknowledges the active social and structural processes that marginalise certain racial and ethnic groups.
- Racism
Refers to the belief, behaviour, or system that assigns value and privilege to people based on perceived racial or ethnic differences, resulting in disadvantage or discrimination against others. Racism operates at multiple levels — individual, institutional, and structural — and is sustained through policies, practices, and cultural norms that uphold racial hierarchies. It involves both overt acts of prejudice and more subtle forms of bias that perpetuate inequality. Racism is not only about personal attitudes but also about the systemic distribution of power and resources that benefits some racial groups while disadvantaging others.