White Privilege, 'Anti-white Racism' and White Supremacy in Australia

White Privilege, 'Anti-white Racism' and White Supremacy in Australia examines the rise of white victimhood narratives in Australia, particularly the growing claims of ‘anti-white racism’—the belief that white people are now the targets of prejudice and systemic discrimination. Sharples and Blair place these claims within the broader framework of Australia’s settler-colonial and multicultural identity, arguing that narratives of white victimhood function as a continuation of denial—denial of racism, of white privilege, and of Indigenous sovereignty and dispossession. They unpack how mainstream institutions have legitimised and amplified these narratives, giving them a platform and reinforcing a backlash against diversity, anti-racism and social progress. White victimhood is not a new phenomenon in Australia, but in recent years, it has reached new heights, emboldened by shifting global politics and a sense of entitlement tied to the perceived loss of privilege. This book examines what these claims reveal about race, power and national identity in contemporary Australia—and the political and social stakes of not taking them seriously.