ABSTRACT
This chapter examines 'casual racism', 'bystander antiracism' and 'ordinariness' to foreclose race by failing to theorise its persistence in contemporary racisms which are presented as excessive rather than integral to a liberal multicultural Australia whose continuing coloniality is rarely identified. Because of epistemic racism in Australia, disciplines such as sociology or cultural studies do not have an institutionally legitimated black tradition. While the societal benefits of normalising 'zero tolerance' for racist speech and actions are undeniable, unlike smoking in public for example, the benefits or possibilities for individuals of opposing racism are less clear. The suggested resilience of Australian Muslims, when taken in recognition of their high degree of racism denial and espousal of a discourse of respect for cultural diversity, can be translated as an acceptance of the possibilities for inclusion on offer within dominant Australian social and cultural frameworks.
