Whiteness theory

Whiteness theory is a field under whiteness studies, that studies what white identity means in terms of social, political, racial, economic, culture, etc.[1] Whiteness theory posits that if some Western societies make whiteness central to their respective national and cultural identities, their white populations may become blind to the privilege associated with White identity. The theory examines how that blindness may exclude, otherize and perhaps harm non-white individuals and segments of the population.[2]

Whiteness theory is an offshoot of critical race theory that sees race as a social construct. It posits that whiteness is "practiced" by employing "visible systems of whiteness" that white people use to maintain power to benefit only white people.[3][4][5] Critical whiteness theory (CWT) positions whiteness as the default of North American and European cultures. It further describes that as a result of this default, a majority of white people are not directly aware of the advantages of being white conferred upon them by various on-going social practices. Academics and others who study CWT explain that the dominant white cultural and social processes that uphold whiteness stem from historical practices described as the "performativity of whiteness."[6][7][8][9] When this performativity aims to perpetuate racial privilege, assumed racial superiority, and secure the acceptance of dominance, it is referred to as white supremacy.[10] Stemming from the lack of cultural awareness, humanity, and empathy with racial others as a result of being white, whiteness theory looks at the social, power, and economic challenges that arise from disregard or denial of white privilege, and the use of strategies of whiteness to reassert white space,[11] also known as white degeneracy.[12][13]

  1. ^ Hartmann, D.; Gerteis, J.; Croll, P. R. (2009). "An empirical assessment of whiteness theory: Hidden from how many?". Social Problems. 56 (3): 403–424. doi:10.1525/sp.2009.56.3.403. JSTOR 10.1525/sp.2009.56.3.403.
  2. ^ Cullen, K. A. (2014). "A critical race and critical whiteness theory analysis of preservice teachers' racialized practices in a literacy across the curriculum course". Syracuse University). Archived from the original on 2019-02-09. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
  3. ^ Gabriel, John (1998). Whitewash: Racialized Politics and the Media. Psychology Press. ISBN 978-0-415-14969-3.
  4. ^ Levine-Rasky, Cynthia (2016-02-11). Whiteness Fractured. Routledge. ISBN 978-1-134-76463-1. Whiteness refers to amultitude...order of things.
  5. ^ Stephen W. Littlejohn; Karen A. Foss (2009). Encyclopedia of Communication Theory. Vol. 1. Sage Publications, Inc. p. 1007. ISBN 978-1-4129-5937-7. Archived from the original on 2020-09-27. Retrieved 2019-02-09.
  6. ^ Harris, Cheryl I. (1993). "Whiteness as Property". harvardlawreview.org.
  7. ^ Schick, Carol (2014-01-01). "White resentment in settler society". Race Ethnicity and Education. 17 (1): 88–102. doi:10.1080/13613324.2012.733688. ISSN 1361-3324. S2CID 145271216.
  8. ^ Warren, John T. (2009-06-06). "The social drama of a 'rice burner': A (re)constitution of whiteness". Western Journal of Communication. 65 (2): 184–205. doi:10.1080/10570310109374699. ISSN 1057-0314.
  9. ^ Nkomo, Stella M. (1992). "The Emperor Has No Clothes: Rewriting "Race in Organizations"". The Academy of Management Review. 17 (3): 487–513. doi:10.2307/258720. ISSN 0363-7425. JSTOR 258720.
  10. ^ Henry, Frances; Tator, Carol (2006). The Colour of Democracy: Racism in Canadian Society. Thomson Nelson. pp. 46+. ISBN 978-0-17-622486-8.
  11. ^ Moore, Julia Robinson; Sullivan, Shannon (2018-01-01). "Rituals of White Privilege: Keith Lamont Scott and the Erasure of Black Suffering". American Journal of Theology & Philosophy. 39 (1): 34–52. doi:10.5406/amerjtheophil.39.1.0034. ISSN 0194-3448. S2CID 171801098. white rituals...augments it.
  12. ^ Walsh, Shannon L. (2020-11-16). Eugenics and Physical Culture Performance in the Progressive Era: Watch Whiteness Workout. Springer Nature. ISBN 978-3-030-58764-2.
  13. ^ Nichols, D. (2010). "Teaching critical Whiteness theory: What college and university teachers need to know". Understanding and Dismantling Privilege. 1 (1): 1–12. Archived from the original on 2016-10-28. Retrieved 2019-02-09.