Entrenched Racism, Racial Habitus and Diasporic Life of Africans in Australia

African migrants are among the most racialized groups in Australia, often facing microaggressions, stereotypes, and institutional racism. The persistent stereotyping and racialization of African migrants can be observed in discourses of migration, integration, racism, juvenile crime, welfare dependence, and cultural adaptation, depicting the African communities as a burden. The latest Scanlon surveys indicate that almost 46% African migrants experienced racial discrimination. Such experiences are particularly salient in schools with significant number of African students reporting frequent racism and racial bullying (45% experiencing it and 68% witnessing it). Drawing on Bourdieu’s habitus, this paper examines how race and racialized interactions shape the everyday lives of African migrant students as they navigate diasporic life, adapt to new environments and negotiate their complex identities. The paper deploys the concept of racial habitus to demonstrate how African Australian students, as racialized subjects, are forced to constantly negotiate their place within schools that reflect the broader white-majority societal norms. I highlight the dual pressure of assimilation and exclusion that these students experience, particularly in a superdiverse, yet unequal, educational environment. This diasporic pressure is intricately tied to the construction of a racial habitus—internalized patterns of thought, attitudes and behaviour that reflect the positioning of African diasporic communities within a racial hierarchy. By examining these dynamics, the paper sheds light on the unique diasporic experiences of African students and their nuanced coping mechanisms. I argue that the racial habitus that African migrants acquire in the form of adaptive dispositions, cultural resources and critical engagement are crucial in counteracting the negative effects of intersecting inequities and experiences of racism. The paper concludes with key theoretical insights on diasporic racial habitus and implications for concrete anti-racist policies and practices in schools that recognize and support the needs of African students.