Rethinking White Supremacy

Abstract

The article addresses the nature of power relations that sustain and disguise white racial hegemony in contemporary 'western' society. Following the insights offered by critical race theory (CRT), white supremacy is conceived as a comprehensive condition whereby the interests and perceptions of white subjects are continually placed centre stage and assumed as 'normal'. These processes are analysed through two very different episodes. The first example relates to a period of public crisis, a moment where 'what really matters' is thrown into relief by a set of exceptional circumstances, in this case, the London bombings of July 2005. The second example relates to the routine and unexceptional workings of national assessment mechanisms in the education system and raises the question whether assessments merely record educational inequity or actually produce it. These apparently divergent cases are linked by the centrality of white interests and the mobilization of structural and cultural forces to defend white power at the expense of the racialized 'Other'.

Cultural Explanations for Racial and Ethnic Stratification in Academic Achievement: A Call for a New and Improved Theory

“…These scholars have exposed supposedly "race-neutral" practices that disproportionately impact minority students adversely, such as the allocation of students to Advanced Placement and remedial classes (Solorzano & Ornelas, 2004); lower level exams given to "low ability" students in Britain that predetermine a lack of high achievement (Gillborn, 2006); and schools' "hidden curricula" that are masked through seemingly inclusive multiculturalism policies (Jay, 2003).…”

“…Scholars in the tradition of critical race studies show how institutional racism is embedded in the organization and structure of schools and their "hidden curriculum" (Dixson & Rousseau, 2005;Gillborn, 2006;Jay, 2003;Parker, Deyhle, & Villenas, 1999;Solorzano & Ornelas, 2004). These scholars have exposed supposedly "race-neutral" practices that disproportionately impact minority students adversely, such as the allocation of students to Advanced Placement and remedial classes (Solorzano & Ornelas, 2004); lower level exams given to "low ability" students in Britain that predetermine a lack of high achievement (Gillborn, 2006); and schools' "hidden curricula" that are masked through seemingly inclusive multiculturalism policies (Jay, 2003).…”

Breakin’ Down Whiteness in Antiracist Teaching: Introducing Critical Whiteness Pedagogy

“…Although not new, critical whiteness studies continue to have profound impact in the field of race studies and education (Allen 2001;Gillborn 2006;Leonardo 2009). From the original works of Dubois (2005) to Baldwin (1963), Black scholars have been interrogating the operations and prevalence of whiteness in American society for some time.…”

UK Secondary Schools Under Surveillance: What are the Implications for Race? A Critical Race and Butlerian Analysis

“…The lowest ACSL was recorded for the white group at 14.9 months (all data Justice, 2011). Equally, in a school context, research has shown that minority ethnic young people are more likely to be excluded from school than white young people (Gillborn, 2006). It has been suggested that one reason for this is the perception of teachers, many of whom view minority ethnic children as a challenge or threat, their perceptions shaped by dominant discourses (for example, Mac an Ghaill, 1988; Gillborn, 1990;Mirza, 1992;Basit, 1997).…”

“…Critical race theorists have extended the analysis of others (for example Bourdieu and Passeron, 1990;Durkheim, 1956) to argue that not only does formal education have a specific function to teach loyalty to the state and to ensure the maintenance of the social status quo, it ensures the maintenance of white supremacy (Ladson-Billings, 1998;Gillborn, 2006). Thus we see that white supremacy is not a fixed structure, rather it requires continual maintenance work, to which this new surveillance regime potentially contributes.…”