White Privilege Research Articles

“You really shouldn’t be here”: using social identity theory to explore under-represented ethnic minority (UREM) students experiences of belonging in a UK dental school

There is tacit acknowledgment that the psycho-social and educational challenges experienced by under-represented ethnic minorities in medical school are likely to be similar to those experienced by ethnic minorities in dental school. However, dental scholarship is not as expansive or comprehensive by comparison to confirm if this is the case. This paper addresses this research gap by presenting the findings of a small-scale exploratory study into the experiences of nine dental undergraduates from a variety of ethnic backgrounds studying at one UK dental school. A social identity theoretical framework was applied to the analysis of semi-structured interview data. The study reveals that dental school is a racialised educational space, where whiteness and white privilege are the norm and students from ethnic minority backgrounds occupy ‘out-group’ status through a process of depersonalisation and stereotyping. Their experiences reveal the existence of a climate of everyday racism perpetuated by students and faculty alike. This research calls on dental schools, and the dental profession more generally to address the lack of inclusivity as a pressing concern requiring immediate action.

The psychology of social change – 30 years post-apartheid: what went wrong and how to fix it?

This article presents some snapshots from 30 years of my collaborative work in the social psychology of social change in South Africa. Projects with students and colleagues used ethnographic, discursive, and survey methods to document racial encounters in the newly desegregated spaces of post-apartheid South Africa. I will review some of the successes and failures of desegregation efforts both in the country and in social psychology, where intergroup contact theory has come under considerable scrutiny. Critically, an assimilate-to-privilege form of desegregation has not resulted in systemic change but replaced the apartheid ‘colour line’ with an ‘epistemic line’ of White privilege and race stereotyping. Towards the end of the article, I’ll consider why anticolonial discourse rejects intergroup contact as a solution, and turn, finally, to Mbembe’s concept of Afropolitanism to make modest proposals for a way forward – the ‘how to fix it’ part of the article.

‘You're not supposed to be gay, you're black’: Analysing race and LGBTQ+ youth identity through an intersectional lens

AbstractIn this article, I build upon calls for an intersectional approach in sociocultural linguistic research – particularly in the context of language, gender and sexuality – which attends robustly to the question of race. Through the analysis of four moments of discourse between young LGBTQ+ people, I show how their queer positionality is informed and shaped by their experience as white or racialised youths. In doing so, I demonstrate the intra‐categorical nature of identity and the benefits of a ‘thick’ analytical approach which pays close attention to individual speakers’ positionalities. Furthermore, I argue for sociocultural linguistic research which honours the origins of intersectionality theory by accounting explicitly for the role of systemic racism and white privilege on speakers’ identity constructions.

The White privilege of self-determination in entrepreneurship: how educational supports pipeline White students into business ownership

Worker cooperative entrepreneur spaces are predominantly White despite these companies building the foundation of their business model on equity and sustainability. While some studies have investigated racism in entrepreneurship development, no in-depth study has investigated White privilege in this space. Therefore, this study used a qualitative critical narrative analysis approach to explore White privilege in the entrepreneurship journeys of six White individuals who formed a worker cooperative business. Findings suggest that formal and informal educational experiences fostered four themes of White privilege in entrepreneurship: belongingness and competence in privileged entrepreneurship identity, resource-rich support systems, anti-meritocracy perceptions of competence, and privileged psychology of wealth. Findings suggest that educational spaces foster basic psychological needs of intrinsic motivation required for entrepreneurship, however, racialized gatekept access to these spaces perpetuates racial disproportionality in entrepreneurship. This article concludes with situating findings within self-determination theory and discussions of study limitations, implications, and future directions.

Preserving white privileges in organizations: white fragility, white counterreactions, and institutional resistance

Preserving white privileges in organizations: white fragility, white counterreactions, and institutional resistance

Internalized Racism? A Study of Christian Nationalism and Perceptions of Asian Hate and White Privilege Among Asians and Asian Americans

Prior studies have shown that Christian nationalism, an ideology combining Christian identity with American identity, is a powerful predictor of public attitudes toward racism. However, less is known about how Christian nationalism might affect Asians and Asian Americans’ racial attitudes, who have increasingly been the targets of anti-Asian hate crimes since the COVID-19 pandemic. This study surveyed 356 Asian and Asian American adults residing in the US. Among them, a stronger belief in Christian nationalism was associated with the perception that anti-Asian racism had stayed about the same or decreased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Surprisingly, this Christian nationalism effect on perceptions of anti-Asian racism during the pandemic was more salient among Asians and Asian Americans, who perceived a greater importance of Asian solidarity. Finally, Asians and Asian Americans who held a stronger belief in Christian nationalism also tended to deny the existence of White privilege.

White privilege, ethnic disadvantage, and stigmatized linguistic capital: COVID-19 infection rates and lockdown law enforcement in Hong Kong

The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed and exacerbated existing disparities in various societies. This study investigates disparities among racial, ethnic, and linguistic groups in Hong Kong's society in COVID-19 infection rates and lockdown enforcement practices that was imposed 545 times from January 2021 to September 2022 and affected 9% of the population. It is found that neighborhoods with more white individuals had lower infection rates than the overall population, while those with more ethnically minoritized groups had higher infection rates. Furthermore, hit rate tests reveal that the government targeted more neighborhoods with a higher share of individuals from linguistically minoritized groups. This novel finding suggests that not only race, but linguistic difference of the same ethnicity can cause bias. The study highlights the positive impact of providing ethnic support services on health outcomes in neighborhoods with a higher share of individuals from ethnically minoritized groups.

Immigrants in the Transnational Far Right: Integration through Racisms and Negotiating White Supremacy in a Migratory Context

Despite the historical and contemporary instances of immigrants and their descendants engaging with the far-right, whether through long-distance nationalism or country of residence politics, migration scholarship has surprisingly paid very little attention to this process. In this paper we argue that insufficient engagement with instances of the far-right attracting and mobilizing immigrants and ethnic minorities is a theoretical omission in both migration scholarship and scholarship of the far-right and is related to the reproduction of reified notions of “majority”’ and “minority,” normative assumptions about immigrants’ political activism as inevitably progressive, and methodological nationalism implicit in studying the far-right from a political science perspective. Through an analysis of a case study of Polish immigrants and their descendants in Britain, we demonstrate that these omissions can be bridged by paying more attention to relational processes of constructions of whiteness, the role of systemic racism, and the increasing transnationalization of the far-right. The cases we describe, captured through the notion of integration-through-racisms, are therefore a symptom of both increasing complexities of migration-driven diversity with threatened white privilege as the focus and dynamic changes in global far-right ideologies and strategies.

Between commodification and racial capital: an autoethnography exploring whiteness in higher education in Japan

ABSTRACT This article examines how individuals may play a role – inadvertently or intentionally – in negating white privilege by critically examining the conflict-avoidance approach employed by individuals in higher education in Japan. Drawing on the third wave of Critical Whiteness Studies (CWS), the article examines the role of whiteness that impacts educators who engage in English education in Japan. In doing so, autoethnography is used to critically analyse situations from the author’s lived experiences where educators were complicit in upholding the hegemony of whiteness. The findings suggest that avoiding the critique of whiteness misses the opportunity not only to interrogate the incidents that sustain the status quo, but also overlooks the emotionalities and humanity of all educators involved in English education in Japan. Finally, the article ends by suggesting Matias’ (2016) notion of the humanizing process to understand what educators are up against when confronting race and seeks ways for all educators to join the global movement of racial justice in their teaching contexts.

The Work of Whiteness.

The division of the races, created for the economic and political purposes of justifying slavery and colonialism, is a deep, entrenched, social structure which creates and promotes white privilege and is one within which we all live. No one can be free from it. This presentation is rooted in the assumption that the problem of racism today is a problem of whiteness and that it is an examination of this construct, therefore, which needs to be central to seeking a solution to this destructive dynamic. The work required of whiteness and the letting go of privilege is essential if we are to dismantle the system of racism that is so embedded within our society. I argue this is no altruistic endeavour but that, whilst clearly doing untold harm to people of colour, such a system also limits and distorts the development and individuation of white individuals and the society in which we are citizens.

The Role of Nursing Leadership in Dismantling Racism in Nursing: A Call to Action.

Racism is a structural determinant of health that affects mental health outcomes in the United States and globally. Nursing leaders must respond to a call to action to address racism in nursing. The purpose of the current article is to present evidence-based, race-conscious strategies for nurses in leadership roles to identify, challenge, and mitigate racism in nursing education and practice. Building on a theoretical framework, we share essential diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) strategies for dismantling racism in nursing. These DEI strategies include: (1) critical self-reflection, (2) mutual respect and recognition, (3) challenging White privilege, (4) leveraging available resources, (5) intentional advocacy/strategic planning, and (6) continuing education. The work of this American Nurses Association (ANA)-Illinois DEI Expert Panel is presented as an example of a statewide initiative to promote a greater understanding of the global history of racialization and challenge nursing leaders to act now to eliminate the contemporary effects of racism in the nursing profession. To truly challenge and mitigate racist practices, nursing leadership must be proactively engaged and have a strategic action plan in place to confront structural racism. [Journal of Psychosocial Nursing and Mental Health Services, xx(xx), xx-xx.].

“White Privilege . . . Is Not an Organizing Strategy”: Shifting Frameworks in White People’s Antiracist Efforts

We know relatively little about how to mobilize and sustain White involvement in politically impactful, antiracist collective action. Adding to the literature on the vexations of White people’s approaches to antiracism, this study takes the case of Showing Up for Racial Justice (SURJ), a national organization that seeks to bring a critical mass of U.S.-based White people into antiracist campaigns at a scale not previously attempted. It traces the shift from a White privilege analytic that has been dominant in many White-led antiracist spaces, often in ways that can be individualizing and depoliticizing, to a “mutual” or “shared” interest approach, which identifies White people’s own stake in dismantling White supremacy, though not without its own perils. Findings suggest that a mutual interest orientation prioritizes collective action over personal morality, holding important benefits for the recruitment, retention, and principled engagement of White people in racial justice struggles.

Rot, White, and Blue: A scholarly personal narrative on the lived experiences of a white, German international graduate student in the United States

AbstractThis scholarly personal narrative offers insight into the everyday lived experience of a white international student from Germany living and studying in the United States. In this narrative, she explores her life between discrimination in the form of anti‐German sentiment and white privilege. The narrative focuses on discrimination from a systemic as well as an interpersonal level and is a first attempt in offering a more stratified and complex insight of the experiences of a white, German international student in the United States.

The Effects of Morally Reframed Messages on White Individuals' Attitudes Toward White Privilege.

Many White Americans are unaware of or tend to deny the existence of White privilege. One potential explanation for this denial is the belief that America functions as a meritocracy. Prior research suggests that morally reframed messages can change individuals' beliefs when the reframed messages align with their personal moral values. Contributing to the literature on morally reframed messages, the current pair of studies challenged individuals' beliefs about meritocracy in order to promote their awareness of White privilege. After demonstrating that morally reframed messages about America as a meritocracy can meaningful reflect five distinct moral foundations (i.e., Harm/Care, Fairness/Reciprocity, Loyalty/Betrayal, Authority/Respect, Purity/Sanctity), the current studies revealed that individuals who endorsed the moral values of Authority/Respect, Loyalty/Betrayal, and Purity/Sanctity (the binding foundations) reported stronger beliefs in meritocracy and less awareness of White privilege, whereas individuals who endorsed the moral values of Harm/Care and Fairness/Reciprocity (individualizing foundations) reported weaker beliefs in meritocracy and greater awareness of White privilege (Studies 1 and 2). Although the morally reframed messages promoted individuals' White privilege awareness compared to a control message (Study 2), the effectiveness of the messages was not enhanced when the messages aligned with individuals' moral values (Studies 1 and 2). The current pair of studies is the first to examine if individuals' endorsement of the five moral foundations can be used to change their beliefs about White privilege.

Backlash, white privilege and anger: Resistance to the equality, diversity and inclusion agenda in the British television industry

This article investigates the manifestation and dissemination of reactionary attitudes and discourses within the British television production community, explicitly and implicitly opposing the equality, diversity and inclusion agenda that has gained prominence in recent years. Utilising anonymous, in-depth qualitative interviews with 14 white, male, able-bodied, neurotypical and heterosexual industry professionals, predominantly from middle- or upper-class backgrounds, working in various production roles around London, the study explores their perspectives on the equality, diversity and inclusion agenda within both the industry and broader society. The research sheds light on pockets within the screen industries where awareness of social and male ‘white privilege’ is lacking. Positioned within the context of increased diversity and inclusion initiatives, the article critically analyses the growing circulation of ‘diversity backlash’ narratives. It aims to contribute to a deeper understanding of resistance to equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives within the industry, advocating for informed challenges to these attitudes. The article explores connections between anti-diversity discourses in the media industry and wider societal discourses on race, gender and identity. By examining links to meritocratic and individualistic narratives around ‘hard work’, individualism and ‘fairness’, the research contributes to the socio-cultural analysis of how equality, diversity and inclusion initiatives are experienced within the screen industries. The study explores diversity fatigue and white privilege framed within the ideology of meritocracy, to investigate the dynamics of resistance and opposition to equality, diversity and inclusion measures. It highlights the need for an understanding of these discourses to successfully embed equality, diversity and inclusion agendas within media institutions and practices, particularly in the face of societal and industry-wide resistance. The research concludes by emphasising the systemic resistance within privileged pockets of the screen industries, calling for a deeper examination of the emergence and circulation of reactionary discourses that may impede the progress of essential equality, diversity and inclusion programmes and activities within the cultural economy.

Structurally informed psychodynamic theory case conceptualization: Expanding the conceptualization map.

There is a rich history of psychological movements that call upon the field to collaborate with clients to both acknowledge and resist oppression, as well as an increasing emphasis in professional guidelines on conceptualizing clients with attention to the role of the social and physical environment, to contemporary experience with power, privilege, and oppression, and to institutional barriers and related disparities. These calls indicate the need for psychological case conceptualization to move beyond preconceived assessments of which aspects of clients' identities are salient to them, to engage with clients' sociocultural identities as situated within systems of power and oppression, and to engage in advocacy to improve clients' socioenvironmental contexts and to challenge structural oppression. In this article, we attend to the foundational contributions of Black psychology, intersectionality, liberation psychology, Indigenous healing, and radical healing for using case conceptualization to guide structurally responsive and impactful treatment and advocacy. We then present a case example drawn from a composite of clinical encounters that captures client distress interwoven with structural forces such as addiction stigma, intersecting classism and sexism, White privilege, and caregiver leave policies. To demonstrate how to integrate structural forces with theory, we present how this case would be conceptualized utilizing psychodynamic frameworks infused with attention to the ways in which structural forces shape and perpetuate the client's distress. To move from naming to integrating structural competency in case conceptualization, psychotherapy training must address how structural forces shape how client distress develops and is maintained and necessitates advocacy outside of the session. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).

Commentary on “‘Music therapy is the very definition of white privilege’: Music therapists’ perspectives on race and class in UK music therapy” (Mains et al.)

commentary on “‘Music therapy is the very definition of white privilege’: Music therapists’ perspectives on race and class in UK music therapy” (Mains et al.)

Racial Rage, Racial Guilt: The Uses of Anger in Asian America

ABSTRACT Asian Americans are conventionally described as “middle-man minorities,” outside of dominant racial paradigms of White and Black, adjunct to White privilege and exempt from the brunt of systemic violence directed against Black people. Historical accounts of the in-betweenness of Asian Americans trace their origins to how Asian coolie labor has served to triangulate White capital and African slavery over the course of European modernity. If this is the material history of in-betweenness, what is the psychic corollary of the middle-man thesis? Through an analysis of the Netflix dark comedy series Beef, as well as case histories of Asian American patients and students, we argue that the psychic effects of occupying a racially intermediate position implicate an unexplored terrain of racial rage and racial guilt that Asian Americans are insistently socialized to hold on behalf of others.

Flag within a Flag: Understanding the Ongoing Cultural Significance of the Union Jack in the Australian Flag*

ABSTRACT In Australia, social scientists have long understood the importance of national symbols and the role they play in both the construction and maintenance of the nation, but in-depth analysis of the national flag has been overlooked. In particular, the cultural significance of the British flag that sits within the Australian national flag warrants focused consideration, as it symbolises the moment Australia became a British possession in multifarious ways. In this article, a critical analysis of the Australian flag demonstrates how the primary symbol of the nation can heighten White privilege through its official point of honour. Vexillology and Indigenist Standpoint Pedagogy provide a framework from which to deconstruct the Australian flag. This article conducts a critical examination of the social, institutional and historical frameworks that support the flag to argue that it is an ongoing signifier of White cultural power.

The influence of the race of defendant and the race of victim on capital charging and sentencing in California

AbstractThe California Racial Justice Act of 2020 recognized racial and ethnic discrimination as a basis for relief in capital cases, expressly permitting several types of statistical evidence to be introduced. This statewide study of the influence of race and ethnicity on the application of capital punishment contributes to this evidence. We draw on data from over 27,000 murder and manslaughter convictions in California state courts between 1978 and 2002. Using multiple methods, we found significant racial and ethnic disparities in charging and sentencing decisions. Controlling for defendant culpability and specific statutory aggravators, we show that Black and Latinx defendants and all defendants convicted of killing at least one white victim are substantially more likely to be sentenced to death. We further examined the role that race and ethnicity have in decision‐making at various points in the criminal justice system. We found that prosecutors were significantly more likely to seek death against defendants who kill white victims, and that juries were significantly more likely to sentence those defendants to death. The magnitude of the race of the defendant and race of the victim effects is substantially higher than in prior studies in other states and in single‐jurisdiction research. The results show an entrenched pattern of racial disparities in charging and sentencing that privileges white victim cases, as well as patterns of racial disparities in who is charged and sentenced to death in California courts that are the natural result of California's capacious statutory definition of death eligibility, which permits virtually unlimited discretion for charging and sentencing decisions. This pattern of racial preferences illustrates the social costs of California's failure to follow the Supreme Court's directive in Furman v Georgia to narrow the application of capital punishment over 50 years ago.