ERIC Number: EJ1454042
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: EISSN-1920-4175
Disrupting an Epistemology of White Ignorance through Writing a Racial Autobiography
Jennifer Gale de Saxe; Alex Ker
Critical Education, v14 n2 p86-100 2023
White students who enter university having few experiences engaging with race and white supremacy are likely limited in their ability to perceive and understand structural white ignorance and racial bias towards Black, Indigenous and People of Color (BIPOC). As a result, these students and their professors tend to gloss over the insidious ways that hegemonic whiteness is upheld within the university setting. Such failure to critically examine structural whiteness misses opportunities to confront an epistemology of white ignorance, the Racial Contract, and their connection to sustained racial domination. Throughout this article, we argue that students can work towards identifying and disrupting white ignorance by writing a racial autobiography that critically reflects upon students' own experiences of race and racism. We use this assignment to illustrate what it might mean for students to 'become' co-conspirators within and beyond the university setting.
Descriptors: White Students, College Students, Racism, College Environment, Autobiographies, Reflection, Experience, Race, Foreign Countries, College Role, College Faculty, Classroom Environment, Cultural Awareness, Blacks, Indigenous Populations, Minority Groups
Institute for Critical Education Studies. 2125 Main Mall, EDCP, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z4 Canada. Tel: 604-822-2830; Web site: https://ices.library.ubc.ca/index.php/criticaled/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Evaluative
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: New Zealand
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A