Different Words, Same Song: Ecologies of Whiteness Within Higher Education

Session Type: Symposium

Abstract

This symposium examines white supremacy and racism in different contexts within higher education. Contemporary approaches to racism and white supremacy in higher education will not advance racial justice if they center white interests or identity needs. However, the existence of race-focused initiatives can be deceptive; it may appear that racism and white supremacy are being robustly addressed even when the initiatives do not advance racial justice. Context-specific analyses support a nuanced understanding of the adaptability of white supremacy in its various iterations. Context-specific analyses also encourage intersectional and place-based moves toward racial justice that draw on the embodied experiences of white supremacy and institutional racism to develop more humanizing, holistic, sustainable, and racially just outcomes.

Sub Unit

• Division G - Social Context of Education / Division G - Section 4: Policies, Mattering, and Praxis

Chair

• Cheryl E. Matias, University of San Diego

Papers

• Window Dressing or Racial Justice? Examining Commitments to Racial Justice in Teacher Education - Cheryl E. Matias, University of San Diego

• "Not of the Spirit but of the Letter": Technical Compliance and Whiteness as Property in Teacher Education - Christin A. DePouw, Northeast Wisconsin Technical College

• Examining White Supremacy and Colonialism Within Hmong Studies - Choua P. Xiong, University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh

• A Critical Race Theory Analysis of Whiteness and Educational Leadership in a Hispanic-Serving Institution - Isaura Betzabe Pulido, Northeastern Illinois University