The Resilience of Racial Regimes: How Crises Perpetuate Racial Inequality in Cultural and Creative Industries

This paper explores the persistence of racial inequality in the Cultural and Creative Industries (CCIs) during moments of crisis, focusing on how the COVID-19 pandemic became a tool to reinforce whiteness, even in the face of challenges posed by movements like Black Lives Matter (BLM). Drawing on Cedric Robinson's theory of racial capitalism and Maryann Erigha's concept of racialised risk, it argues that economic crises disproportionately affect racially minoritised groups. Erigha (2021) shows how Black cultural production is framed as high-risk and prone to failure, while white production is seen as low-risk and successful, reinforcing systemic racial exclusion.

Despite public declarations of anti-racism during BLM, structural barriers within CCIs remain. Scholars such as Sara Ahmed (2012, 2017) and Taylor and O’Brien (2017) demonstrate that the sector’s institutional inertia, tied to ideological whiteness, continues to marginalise racialised creatives and audiences. The COVID-19 crisis amplified these inequalities, as ethnically diverse workers were disproportionately affected by job losses and financial instability. Furthermore, diversity initiatives became easy targets for cuts, exposing the superficial nature of many anti-racist commitments. The paper highlights how moments of economic downturn often lead to a reversion to traditional, "safe" choices that maintain the dominance of whiteness, rather than driving genuine structural change. The concept of racialised risk, as articulated by Erigha, illustrates how cultural institutions’ risk-averse responses to crises further marginalise ethnically diverse creatives.

In conclusion, this paper argues that racial regimes within CCIs are highly resilient and adapt to crises, reinforcing existing power structures. True progress towards racial equity in the sector requires more than performative gestures; it demands a fundamental restructuring of power and a commitment to embedding anti-racist principles into the fabric of cultural institutions.