How to counteract racism in education–A typology of teachers’ anti-racist actions

Abstract

In this article we develop a typology of anti-racist action in education. Using teachers’ practices and experiences, we highlight six approaches on how teachers counter racism in their schools. Each approach entails a different set of actions and aims to address different manifestations of racism. They range from actions that seek to challenge structural racism (the emancipatory, norm-critical and intercultural perspectives), to approaches that engage individualized forms of racism (the relational, democratic and knowledge-focused perspectives). Our analysis makes the complexity of both racism and anti-racism visible. It provides an opportunity to navigate the various types of anti-racist actions, and make conscious decisions regarding what type should be used in relation to different manifestations of racism. The analysis is based on interviews with 27 high-school teachers working in the Swedish educational system.