RACE AND COMMUNITY PRACTICE: REFLECTIONS FROM THE SUPERVISION OF PROFESSIONAL TRAINING

Abstract

Given South Africa's unique history of colonization and racial segregation, understanding and working with issues of race and racialization have been of paramount importance in South African critical community psychology. This article considers how race has emerged in the supervision of community work with master's students in a community psychology practicum. Using an autoethnographic approach, we document our reflections as two community psychology supervisors to discuss the dilemmas experienced in dealing with race in community psychology supervision. We engage with notions of Whiteness and Blackness, intersections of race and language, and race and crime, and document specific issues that emerge in the supervision for Black and White supervisors. In conclusion, we highlight the importance for supervisors to adopt a critical stance that utilizes reflexivity as a tool for the supervision of community work to help students to reflect on issues of race and racism as part of their community engagement.