The Subtle Work of Whiteness in Preservice Teacher Education

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session 9
  In Roundtable Session: Taking Risks and Challenging Racism: Going Beneath the Surface of Whiteness

Abstract

In this article I argue that while teacher education programs in Canada often praise diversity on the policy level, they are still constructed in a way that promotes White normativity. By interviewing racialized teacher candidates and recent graduates of the XXX teacher education program I examine the prevalent conceptions of the ‘good teacher’ in the program and demonstrate that racialized teacher candidates are constructed as ‘less professional’ unless they conform to institutional norms. Using the frame of Critical Race Theory I explore the gap between diversity discourses and the forces of assimilation and normalization with which racialized teacher candidates are confronted. I focus on the participants’ voices, highlighting their resilience and perseverance in navigating the system.

Author

• Lilach Marom, The University of British Columbia