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Racism at work - institutional racism

Racism is usually equated with hostility and prejudice. The media encourages this simplistic picture by linking it to the racial abuse and violent behaviour of neofascist parties. Their members' antics are a product of frustration with their own inadequacies - projected onto a visible minority. In general, however, fascists have little power and influence and the perception of racism as obvious prejudicial opinions and attitudes obscures subtler, more insidious forms of discrimination (Sivanandan, 1991). Racism cannot be reduced to 'human nature and individual fallibility' which leave the state, politics, and 'major structural aspects of contemporary life out of focus' (Husband, 1991: 50).

Howitt and Owusu-Bempah (1990: 397) point to a 'new racism' characterised as 'being a far more complex and subtle form of racism which, superficially, lacks the traditional emotive denigration of black people'. They conclude that 'seeing racism solely as a form of interpersonal antagonism not only sanitises it, but prevents us from defining ourselves as racist if we do not feel racial hatred'. Hence stereotypes appear which are not seen as 'prejudiced':

..Asian women are seen as "passive" or "hysterical" or subject to oppressive practices within the family; there is the stereotype of the strong dominant Afro-Caribbean woman is the head of the household; and the description of the over-aggressive African woman (Sayal, 1990: 24).

The problem is not so much racial discrimination as racial disadvantage. This arises from the inability of the liberal-minded middle classes to perceive the structural advantages which contribute to their own success. Dominelli (1992: 165) argues that:

"it is the subtle presence of racism in our normal activities, coupled with our failure to make the connections between the personal, institutional and cultural levels of racism which make it so hard for white people to recognise its existence in their particular behaviour and combat it effectively".

Ben-Tovim et al. (1992) criticise the ideology of  'colour blindness' which:

*   Fails to appreciate the pervasiveness of racism

*   Confuses racism with urban deprivation and class inequality

*    Is conveniently compatible with a range of political opinions

*    Accommodates the 'universalistic ideologies and practices of public administration' 

*    Denies racism purely as overt and deliberate discrimination;

They note some rationalizations for ignoring other forms of racism:

-  that raising the question of racism is divisive;
-  that the problems of the ethnic minorities are the same as those of the 
   white population, or the working class, the inner cities, and so on.

Braham et al. (1992: 106) suggest that widening our definition of discrimination to include indirect or 'institutional' racism gives a much better understanding of the barriers faced by ethnic minorities (see key concept 9.8). Institutional racism is virtually unrecognised in commercial organizations but it is an extremely contentious issue in the public sector - for instance social work and housing. At one extreme, there are those obsessed with race issues, ignoring other forms of disadvantage. At the other, those who consider that 'there is no such thing as institutional racism and that those who say there is are totalitarian monsters, running amok, reducing nice white people to tears' (Alibhai-Brown, The Independent,11th August,1993). 

KEY CONCEPT 9.8
INSTITUTIONALIZED RACISM

Institutionalised racism is an indirect and largely invisible process which can be compared with cloning and the glass ceiling. It is a term encompassing the, often unintentional, barriers and selection/promotion procedures which serve to disadvantage members of ethnic minority groups.

Braham et al. caution that it is important to acknowledge the wide range of practices involved - some much more obvious than others. Rejecting the proposition that all institutions are uniformly racist, they argue that 'the kind of procedures...that disadvantage black people also disadvantage other groups'. We noted in chapter 8 that the process of cloning is focused on replicating the people in power rather than discriminating against any particular group.

The British Civil Service is a good illustration of the existence and strength of institutionalized disadvantage. A Cabinet Office report in 1995 concluded that it was a bastion of the white, male middle-classes, making it difficult for ethnic minorities to progress into its upper reaches. The report concluded that the main barriers to career development were:

*   Prejudice and/or ignorance among line managers.
*   A lack of confidence in themselves among ethnic minority staff.

These barriers were derived from attitudinal or cultural stereotypes which limited expectations and opportunities on both sides.

Excerpt from chapter 9 - Price, A. J. (1997) Human Resource Management in a Business Context, 1st edition. The third edition (2007) contains a revised and updated version of this excerpt.