Navigating Whiteness in Australia's Anti-Racism Movement: A Duoethnographic Inquiry by Women of Colour Scholars

Abstract

This paper applies Critical Race Theory (CRT) to explore how whiteness operates within Australia's anti-racism movement as a structuring force that shapes discourse, practice and policy. Despite the anti-racism movement offering crucial spaces for resistance and reform, it remains entangled in Australia's settler-colonial present and systemic racism that disproportionately affect Indigenous peoples and other Culturally and Racially Minoritised (CARM) communities. Structural forces, including the dominance of white institutional actors and the persistence of ‘white saviourism’ continue to set the terms of engagement, often constraining the transformative potential of anti-racism efforts. Drawing on duoethnography, this paper is grounded in a series of reflective conversations between two colleagues, both women of colour, working within anti-racism research and activism. Through these dialogues, we examine the tensions, exclusions and opportunities that arise within these spaces where whiteness continues to dominate. We challenge the marginalisation of CARM researchers, who are often treated as subjects rather than active participants in shaping research and policy. Our analysis highlights the need to centre racialised voices and promote community-led collaboration. Through this reflection, we seek to deepen understanding of how whiteness functions as a system of power within anti-racism and advocate for more equitable, inclusive approaches to racial justice in the Australian context.