Development of the Reflexive Antiracism Scale – Indigenous

Abstract

Purpose-Reflexive Antiracism is an approach to antiracism that seeks to avoid the limitations of essentialism and negative emotional reactions through a focus on racialisation (a concept that encompasses both racism and antiracism) as well as the formation and maintenance of racialised identities. This paper aims to outline the construction and validation of a scale to measure this novel theoretical construct: the Reflexive Antiracism Scale-Indigenous (RAS-I). Design/methodology/approach-In the context of a cultural training course focused on Indigenous peoples in Australia, 20 items to assess attitudes were developed along with four hypothetical scenarios designed to assess behavioural intentions in specific situations. The survey formed by these items and scenarios was piloted to assess test-retest, concurrent and construct validity as well as item endorsement and internal reliability. Findings-Findings suggest that an 11-item scale based on this survey forms a valid and reliable measure of Reflexive Antiracism. Further research and applications are discussed. Originality/value-This paper will prompt further exploration of Reflexive Antiracism as a concept that can be applied in a range of settings where a more nuanced understanding and approach to antiracism may be of benefit. Being aware of their position within a society that is racialised will allow antiracists to be reflexive (and realistic) about their ability as individuals to achieve antiracist ideals while continuing to strive towards them.

Educator perceptions on teaching Indigenous health: Racism, privilege and self‐reflexivity

“…The reluctance for educator self‐reflection restricted examination of non‐Indigenous contribution to colonial determinants of Indigenous health 3,12,38,39 . For example, in regard privilege, the tendency to focus on social determinants avoided the consideration of whiteness as a phenomena that perpetrates ongoing oppression of Indigenous peoples (as distinct to other ‘less privileged’ groups) 40 . There was also pedagogical uncertainty regarding managing student responses to self‐reflexive learning, described as a barrier, rather than the heart of Reflection teaching.…”

“…Vital to addressing this is active research that seeks to understand how best to prepare educators, and that which explores innovative, evidenced‐based teaching approaches, in particular options that may not rely on integrated curriculum implementation by non‐expert clinical educators. In the global era of Black Lives Matter, medical education must consider how to urgently embed stronger anti‐racist and self‐reflexive pedagogy 3,10,38‐41 . In Australia, despite medical schools being mandated to teach Indigenous health, an anti‐racism approach is not specified, raising questions as to curriculum accreditation standards.…”

“…In the global era of Black Lives Matter, medical education must consider how to urgently embed stronger anti-racist and self-reflexive pedagogy. 3,10,[38][39][40][41] In Australia, despite medical schools being mandated to teach Indigenous health, an anti-racism approach is not specified, raising questions as to curriculum accreditation standards.…”

Measuring Whiteness: A Systematic Review of Instruments and Call to Action

“…The first and second author independently derived four themes from the constructs assessed by Whiteness measures. Although there was considerable overlap in the conceptualization of these themes, we initially placed four of the measures (Brigham, 1993;Choney & Behrens, 1996;Paradies et al, 2013;Spanierman & Heppner, 2004) in different themes. We calculated an initial kappa coefficient of .68, indicating substantial agreement of measures placed within the themes (Cohen, 1960).…”

“…Antiracism can be defined as "action that reduces power differentials through advantaging subordinate racial groups and/or disadvantaging dominant racial groups" (Paradies, 2005, p. 3) Measures in this theme assess awareness of, attitudes toward, and potential costs associated with unearned racial advantages, as well as how White people interpret and address the underlying causes of inequitably distributed racial privilege. Our content analysis yielded five measures for inclusion in this theme: the Being White in America Scale (BWAS; Bahk & Jandt, 2004), Psychosocial Costs of Racism to Whites (PCRW; Spanierman & Heppner 2004), the Privilege and Oppression Inventory (POI; Hays et al, 2007), the White Privilege Attitudes Scale (WPAS; Pinterits et al, 2009), and the Reflexive Antiracism Scale-Indigenous (RAS-I; Paradies, Franklin, & Kowal, 2013).…”