Desirablizing Whiteness: Understanding a Phenomenon of Passion and Practice

• In Event: 61.024 - Interrogating Educational Leadership: Critical Research on White Privilege and Racism

Abstract

Objective
This conceptual paper further develops our understanding of how whiteness is not only transparently seen as “normal”(Delgado & Stefancic, 2001) but further, how many educational equity and social justice movements actionably and discursively position whiteness as “desirable.” The paper aims to analyze “desirablizing whiteness” as a phenomenon, including an examination of the emotionality of such desire, in order to make visible the construction of this phenomenon and theorize its implications.
Perspectives
The discursive practice of “desirablizing whiteness,” as identified in our earlier discourse analysis of the Minnesota Desegregation Rule (Radd & Grosland, under review) occurs when equity efforts aim to include students of color in actions, situations, formats, and settings where they have been absent or underrepresented, and which have been the “property” of whites.
For example, this is seen when leaders seek to add students of color to existing advanced placement courses despite evidence that all students are capable of, and best served by, rigorous pedagogy and curriculum. Maintaining the tracking system that is represented in advanced placement and “gifted” classes necessitates that “remedial” and “normal” classes exist. In practice, these “elite” courses serve as a form of white property, and are used to maintain the current system of dominance (Demerath, 2012). (Radd & Grosland, under review, p. 17).
Such practices, by definition of “desire” are laden with a strong emotion of want. Given that emotions are embodied and situated discourses (Boler, 1999), both extraordinarily powerful and simultaneously unnoticed, they respond to and construct human interactions (Boler, 1999; Britzman, 2013; Srivastava, 2006; Zembylas, 2003). Our consideration of the presence and role of emotions is key to understanding how “desirablizing whiteness” has a dialectical relationship with human interactions and thus, ultimately impacts social justice efforts.
Methods
We will follow Maxwell’s (2013) guidance for developing a conceptual context, engaging our experiential knowledge, the theoretical literature, and published research studies. We will engage in series of inter-researcher dialogues to examine these data in relation to our central consideration. As an inter-racial team, we bring diverse perspectives and positionality to bear on these project and our subsequent understandings. The goal of our dialogues will be to construct a conceptual map, and translate it into text, in order to frame and detail our understanding of the process and impact of desirablizing whiteness.
Results
Though this project has only begun, the intended outcome of the project is to make visible this phenomenon through detailed conceptualization and description.
Significance: This work is significant in that our earlier study found that the practice of desirablizing whiteness undermines social justice and anti-racist leadership acts and outcomes. Thus, it is important to more fully develop our understanding of this practice in order to better inform anti-oppressive pedagogy and leadership education.

Authors

• Sharon I. Radd, St Catherine University

• Tanetha Jamay Grosland, University of South Florida