Peucker, Mario ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1759-2578, Vaughan, Franka, Doley, Joanna ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8193-1223 and Clark, Thomas ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0313-9484 (2025) Speaking out against racism? Silence, agency and unheard voices among racialised communities in Australia. Ethnic and Racial Studies. pp. 1-21. ISSN 0141-9870

Abstract

Denying the persistence of racism and its impact on racially and culturally marginalised communities remains a key feature of how contemporary racism manifests. This denial is facilitated and reinforced by, among other factors, racialised hierarchies and power imbalances that suppress public expressions of lived experiences with racism, often rendering these voices unheard in the public discourse. This study, combining a survey and 27 focus groups with 862 adults from communities affected by racism in Victoria (Australia), examines how those who face racism are often deterred from speaking out through formal reporting pathways. It identified an interplay between structural, system-inherent reporting barriers and psychological factors of self-silencing. However, silence also emerges as an agentic form of resistance to racism where individuals prioritise community support and wellbeing over official reporting pathways. The findings highlight the inadequacies of formal reporting systems and the need for alternative, community-driven approaches to addressing racism.

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