Appeasing Whiteness in Engineering: Fear as a Result of Whiteness and the Imperative to Achieve Racial Justice

• In Event: Equity, Identity, and Inclusivity in STEM and Engineering Education: Exploring Cultural Practices, Team Dynamics, and Systemic Barriers

Abstract

Engineering is influenced by dominant discourses created by Whiteness. Whiteness in engineering transcends demographics, influencing norms, values, and practices, and working as a mechanism that perpetuates biases and historical privileges that favor white individuals, affecting access, opportunities, and representation. This paper employs counternarratives to reveal how Whiteness is central to the systemic barriers in engineering. Through a critical perspective on Whiteness, we describe instances in which Whiteness permeates engineering culture, maintaining its dominance and preventing the validation of diverse perspectives and methodologies. By highlighting faculty experiences, we explore how Whiteness manifests in engineering in higher education. Results indicate that Whiteness leads to epistemic exclusion and diminishes the agency of faculty of color, who constantly operate under fear.

Authors

• R. Jamaal Downey, University of San Diego

• Alex Mejía, San Francisco State University

• Diana Chen, University of San Diego

• Gordon Hoople, University of San Diego