Unpacking Discursive and Affective Functions of Whiteness to Construct a New Vision for Education Research (Stage 3, 2:44 PM)

• In Event: e-Lightning Ed-Talk Session 18 - Stage 3

Abstract

The present study is grounded in Critical Whiteness Studies and explores how staff narratives in higher education reflect broader racial logics—not merely in policy, but in the stories white staff tell about who they are, what their institutions stand for, and what DEI means. This exploratory qualitative thematic analysis analyzed open-ended survey responses from 1,806 white respondents who participated in the National Assessment of Collegiate Campus Climates staff survey, collected between Fall 2021 and Spring 2023. Three themes emerged as major findings: (a) whiteness maintained through discursive evasion, (b) discomfort with equity demands as a form of whiteness protection, and (c) conditional support masking structural resistance. Implications for research, practice, and policy are discussed.

Authors

• Royel M. Johnson, University of Southern California

• Marcus Maximus Martin, University of Southern California

• Mya Haynes, USC

• Alexia Oduro, University of Southern California