Examining discourses of whiteness and the potential for Reconciliation

Abstract

AbstractThe aim of this article is to explore how examining discourses of whiteness can contribute to an anti‐racism that does not only focus on those affected by racism, thereby locating the issue with the ‘other’, but also attends to the privilege and dominance that is central to unequal and unfair distributions of power. Based on the discourse analysis (see Henriques, Hollway, Urwin, Venn, & Walkerdine, 1998; Parker, 1992) of interviews and focus groups with white Australians about their involvement in Reconciliation we discuss how by examining discursive negotiations at the micro level we are able to critique dominance and privilege at the macro level. In particular, we identify spaces for the examination and critique of whiteness within white Australians' discursive negotiations of Reconciliation. We also discuss how engagement with Indigenous knowledges is a necessary part of the critique of whiteness. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.