Toward Antiracist Habitus: Using Social Reproduction Theory to Determine Antiracist Ways of Being

• In Event: Fresh Considerations Regarding Bourdieu's Habitus

Abstract

Bourdieu’s social reproduction theory is widely used in educational research yet is under-utilized when it comes to disrupting White supremacy and advancing antiracism. Utilizing data from a White civil rights activist and Bourdieu’s notion of habitus, we begin to build the conceptual foundation for an anti-racist habitus. We argue that in advancing justice for Black and other marginalized people, White individuals must go beyond indemnifying as an “ally” or being non-racist, but must demonstrate a change in practices and dispositions toward rejecting the material benefits of Whiteness and White supremacy.

Authors

• Ashton Ryan Cooper, University of West Georgia

• Rachelle Winkle-Wagner, University of Wisconsin - Madison

• Dorian McCoy, The University of Tennessee - Knoxville