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]
^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. ISSN0363-7425. JSTOR258720.