Equal Opportunities International

Purpose – In this article, I seek to show how invocations of political correctness still work in nuanced ways to close down debates and trivialise issues, and effectively slow down progress towards achieving an anti-racist society. I also begin to identify the typologies of the myriad ways in which it presents.

Design/methodology/approach – It is an autobiographical account, with evidence gleaned from personal experiences as an equalities trainer and from discussions arising as part of supporting and mentoring other trainers.

Findings – Political correctness has not gone away: it is still invoked by politicians, the media and individuals within organisations to attack anti-racism and anti-racist learning.

Research limitations/implications – The research is limited by its autobiographical and inevitably subjective nature. However, the standpoints of resistance that I have chosen to discuss are those that have arisen frequently and repeatedly and from across a range of public sector and quasi-public sector organisations.

Practical implications – Despite its limitations, the article clearly demonstrates that political correctness remains an important topic for academic and practitioner debate, and it also identifies the need for further work in developing training to combat its destructiveness.

Originality/value – An original and firsthand account of anti-racist training from the front line is provided. Its value lies in its experiential origins and its potential as a basis for further work.