Racism in an education system: A conceptual framework

This article makes both a conceptual and empirical contribution to research on racism by connecting the context of the Finnish education system to a conceptualization of different levels of racism. Using ethnographic observations and interviews with school staff and pupils, we illustrate the conceptual definitions of the different forms of racism that were most referred to as impacting the education system. Scaling up from individual experiences to broader systemic patterns, our analysis covers the seven concepts of (1) individual racism, (2) internalized racism, (3) interpersonal racism, (4) institutional racism, (5) structural racism, (6) systemic racism, and (7) epistemic racism. We then propose an innovative conceptual framework by framing the different forms of racism as levels in the Finnish education system, before discussing the requirements for an effective antiracist culture as highlighted by the framework. We conclude with suggestions for structured, sustainable antiracist measures in education.