Language for Liberation: A Living Glossary on Race and Identity
Key terms and frameworks in anti-racism, decolonial practice, and racial identity.
Words matter. They clarify. They conceal. They comfort. They confront.
This living glossary offers definitions and reflections on key terms related to race, identity, power, and healing. Rooted in anti-racism, critical race theory, and decolonial practice, it is designed for anyone doing the deep work—educators, therapists, coaches, activists, and curious minds. Some of these terms will challenge you. Some will affirm you. All are offered with the hope that language can become a tool of liberation rather than oppression.
This is not an endpoint—it’s a beginning. A place to pause, learn, unlearn, and expand.
This glossary is intentionally non-alphabetical. It follows the flow of how many of us come to this work—through experience, encounter, pain, awakening, and then reclamation.
CORE GLOSSARY
Race. A socially constructed system used to categorise humans based on physical characteristics (especially skin colour). While often perceived as biological, race has no genetic or scientific basis—it is a political and historical tool that has been used to justify hierarchies of power and oppression.
Source: Smedley, A. and Smedley, B.D., 2005. Race as biology is fiction, racism as a social problem is real. American Psychologist, 60(1), pp.16-26.
Racism. Prejudice and discrimination directed at individuals based on their race, often reinforced by systems and institutions. Racism operates on multiple levels: individual, interpersonal, institutional, and structural.
Source: Jones, C.P., 2000. Levels of racism: a theoretic framework and a gardener’s tale. American Journal of Public Health, 90(8), pp.1212-1215.
Anti-Racism. The active process of identifying and challenging racism by changing systems, structures, policies, practices, and attitudes. It moves beyond "not being racist" to actively working against racial injustice.
Source: Kendi, I.X., 2019. How to be an antiracist. London: Bodley Head.
White Supremacy. A system of thought and power that normalises and privileges whiteness while devaluing non-white cultures and bodies. It underpins much of Western society, often subtly embedded in institutions and norms.
Source: DiAngelo, R., 2018. White fragility: Why it's so hard for white people to talk about racism. Boston: Beacon Press.
Whiteness. Not just a racial identity, but a cultural and political ideology that upholds racial hierarchies. Whiteness operates as an unmarked norm, often invisible to those who benefit from it, yet it defines societal standards.
Source: Frankenberg, R., 1993. White women, race matters: The social construction of whiteness. Minneapolis: University of Minnesota Press.
Critical Race Theory (CRT). An academic and legal framework that examines how laws and systems perpetuate racial inequality. CRT acknowledges that racism is not aberrational but embedded in society’s structures.
Source: Delgado, R. and Stefancic, J., 2017. Critical race theory: An introduction. 3rd ed. New York: NYU Press.
Colourism. Prejudice or discrimination within racial or ethnic groups based on skin tone, typically favouring lighter skin. It stems from colonialism and white supremacy, and can occur both intra- and inter-racially.
Source: Hunter, M., 2007. The persistent problem of colorism: Skin tone, status, and inequality. Sociology Compass, 1(1), pp.237–254.
Intersectionality. A concept describing how social identities (such as race, gender, class, sexuality) overlap and create complex systems of discrimination or privilege. Coined by Kimberlé Crenshaw to highlight the experiences of Black women excluded in both feminist and anti-racist discourses.
Source: Crenshaw, K., 1991. Mapping the margins: Intersectionality, identity politics, and violence against women of color. Stanford Law Review, 43(6), pp.1241-1299.
Microaggressions. Everyday verbal, behavioural, or environmental slights or insults, often unintentional, that communicate hostile or negative messages to people based on marginalised identities.
Source: Sue, D.W. et al., 2007. Racial microaggressions in everyday life: Implications for clinical practice. American Psychologist, 62(4), pp.271-286.
Decolonising. The process of critically examining and undoing the legacy of colonialism in knowledge, education, institutions, and practices—including therapy, healing, and well-being frameworks. It calls for centring Indigenous, non-Western, and marginalised knowledges.
Source: Tuhiwai Smith, L., 2012. Decolonizing methodologies: Research and Indigenous peoples. 2nd ed. London: Zed Books.