Whiteness An ethnicity or identity Week 16 Ethnicity

‘Whiteness’: An ethnicity or identity? Week 16 Ethnicity and ‘Race’

Recap • Considered complexity of concepts and terms • Looked at the ‘institutional racism’ as a study of the contested and political nature of theories of ‘race’ and racism

Outline • Explore the concept of ‘whiteness’ • Consider the extent to which whiteness is both visible and invisible • Use it to explore the concepts of ethnicity and identity

What is whiteness? • Whiteness is usually the dominant culture in the west. • It gives privileges to those that are white • It shapes societies in particular ways

What is whiteness? • Whiteness is seen as something neutral, the result of the blending of colours, which will transcends them (Toni Morrison) • "White people create the dominant images of the world, and don’t quite see that they thus construct the world in their image. " (Richard Dyer ) • This is part of the power of whiteness in shaping society

The White Dominant Culture • Middle-class white straight men are often seen as the standard against which others need to be compared. • This is often as true in sociological studies as it is more generally. • The White Male point-of-view is taken to be the ‘norm’ from which others need to defend their position • It is rarely seen as just as self-interested and self-centred as other points-of-view.

Ignoring Whiteness • Two recent crime reports: • Man grabs teenage girl in street Police are appealing for witnesses… the man is described as being aged in his late 20 s or early 30 s, tall with a "stout" build and wearing work clothes. • Robbers steal gems worth £ 250, 000 Essex Police appealed for any witnesses The men, were described as black, about 6 ft tall, with short hair and wore darkcoloured clothing.

Invisible whiteness? • To what extend do you think whiteness is visible in UK society? • Do you assume that media reports are discussing white people, unless they say otherwise?

Whiteness and Superiority? • White is generally associated in western culture as good and black as evil • White is also associated with Christianity, but only where this upholds the model of goodness. • For example, Timothy Mc. Veigh (Oklahoma Bomber) was not a white terrorist or a Christian extremist, he was just a deranged individual

‘Civilising processes’ • White (middle-class) men were and still are assumed to be self-governing, whilst others need to be governed • Advert for soap in 1899 reads: • ‘The first step towards lightening the White Man’s Burden is through teaching the virtues of cleanliness. Pears soap is a potent factor in brightening the dark corners of the earth as civilization advances, while amongst the cultured of all nations it holds the highest place – it is the ideal toilet soap. ’

Is Whiteness an Ethnicity? • Derald Sue’s research found that: – White people find being asked about whiteness difficult: • They find it perplexing • They are uncomfortable or react negatively to being called white • They deny its relevance to their lives • They prefer to emphasize that ethnicity should be irrelevant

‘Colourblindness’? • To aim to see people as equal is important, denying whiteness can have the effect of perpetuating white privilege • It can continue the notion that whiteness relates to normality • Some argue that making whiteness visible is a principal goal of anti-racism • But making whiteness visible may also sustain white supremacist viewpoints

Defining whiteness • What does whiteness signify to you? • Is it possible to claim a white identity without being racist?

‘Other’ whiteness • The focus on Whiteness as successfully becoming the norm within western culture also overlooks the way that it is a particular classed and racial identity. • Not all white people are classed as White

Working class and whiteness • Working-class bodies have often been seen as not quite white • Some Victorian philanthropists took this to extreme by offering soap instead of food to the poor

‘Other’ White identities • Travellers and Gypsies examples of white identities that have not benefited from Whiteness • History of discrimination and exclusion • Even today, can be vilified without accusations of racism

Summary • Whiteness is often the unspoken dominant culture that is taken to represent the norm • Middle-class, straight white men’s opinions may be seen as standard rather than self-interested • Considering whiteness helps to understand the impact of racism • Whiteness does not benefit all white people

Next week • Look at the concept of nationalism • Explore how it is constructed and maintained • Consider how nationalism is always gendered and the consequences that this has for women in particular