A critical discourse analysis of racial narratives from White athletes attending a historically Black college/University

Abstract

ABSTRACT The purpose of this study was to explore the prevalence of racial narratives in the collegiate experiences of White athletes attending a historically Black college and university (HBCU). Studying White athletes attending a HBCU seeks to better understand how whiteness and racial narratives are prevalent in higher education domains. There is a growing body of literature studying Black athletes attending HBCUs, but a dearth of scholarship examining White athletes attending HBCUs. Sport is often positioned as a tool of racial connection and an inhibitor of limiting racial prejudices. Given the historical and contemporary racial, political, and cultural dynamics between White and Black Americans, it is imperative to examine the experiences of White athletes at HBCUs. This study utilised critical discourse analysis (CDA) to examine White HBCU athletes’ discourses regarding their academic and athletic experiences. Findings reveal that White athletes’ discourses purport ideologies of whiteness, abstract liberalism, and debunk stereotypical tropes about HBCUs. Thus, White athletes navigating a historically Black institution did not refrain from perpetuating racial stereotypes, whiteness, and colour-blindness when discussing their collegiate experiences. However, their discourses also demonstrate HBCUs are institutions for non-Black students and perceived as academically rigorous institutions.