Exploring themes of racialization in “The Vanishing Half”: Is the term “white passing” a useful way for psychotherapists, counsellors and psychological therapists to conceptualise racial identity?

ABSTRACT

This paper draws on themes from The Vanishing Half and intersectionality theory to evaluate the usefulness of the term ‘white passing’ for psychological therapists, counsellors and psychotherapists exploring racial identity phenomena in their practice. The context for ‘white passing’ as a historic method for surviving racial injustice is discussed. This will involve consideration of how the systematic invisibility of whiteness has been a cause for harmful racialization of individuals past and present. The conclusion is that ‘white passing’ as a flattened identity label contains dangerous rhetoric about how far racialized individuals are allowed to ‘fit’ into society by those that oppress them.

ABSTRAKT

Dieser Beitrag stützt sich auf Themen aus The Vanishing Half und der Intersektionalitätstheorie, um die Nützlichkeit des Begriffs “White Passing” für psychologische Therapeut*innen, Berater*innen und Psychotherapeut*innen zu bewerten, die rassische Identitätsphänomene in ihrer Praxis untersuchen.Der Kontext für “White Passing” als historische Methode zum Überleben von Rassenungerechtigkeit wird diskutiert. Dabei wird auch die Frage hinterfragt, inwiefern die systematische Unsichtbarkeit des Weißseins eine Ursache für eine schädliche Rassifizierung von Individuen in Vergangenheit und Gegenwart war. Die Schlussfolgerung ist, dass “White Passing” als abgeflachtes Identitätsetikett eine gefährliche Rhetorik darüber enthält, wie weit rassifizierte Individuen von denen, die sie unterdrücken, in die Gesellschaft “passen” dürfen.

RESUMEN

Este artículo se basa en temas de “The Vanishing Half” y la teoría de la interseccionalidad para evaluar la utilidad del término “paso blanco” para los terapeutas psicológicos, consejeros y psicoterapeutas que exploran los fenómenos de identidad racial en su práctica. Se discute el contexto del “paso blanco” como un método histórico para sobrevivir a la injusticia racial. Esto implicará la consideración de cómo la invisibilidad sistemática de la blancura ha sido una causa de racialización dañina de individuos pasados y presentes. La conclusión es que el “paso blanco” como una etiqueta de identidad aplanada contiene una retórica peligrosa sobre hasta qué punto los individuos racializados pueden “encajar” en la sociedad por aquellos que los oprimen.

RIASSUNTO

Questo articolo si basa su temi trattati nel romanzo “The Vanishing Half” (La metà scomparsa) e sulla teoria dell’intersezionalità per valutare l’utilità del termine “white passing” per psicoterapeuti, counselor e psicologi clinici che esplorano i fenomeni di identità razziale nella loro pratica. Viene discusso il contesto del “farsi passare per bianchi” come metodo storico per sopravvivere all’ingiustizia razziale. Ciò comporterà la considerazione di come l’invisibilità sistematica della bianchitudine sia stata una causa di razzializzazione dannosa degli individui del passato e del presente. La conclusione è che lo “white passing” come etichetta di identità appiattita contiene una retorica pericolosa su quanto gli individui razzializzati siano autorizzati ad “adattarsi” alla società da coloro che li opprimono.

ΠΕΡΊΛΗΨΗ

Αυτό το άρθρο βασίζεται σε θέματα από το «Αόρατο Μισό» και τη θεωρία της διαθεματικότητας για να αξιολογήσει τη χρησιμότητα του όρου «λευκό πέρασμα» στους ψυχολόγους, συμβούλους και ψυχοθεραπευτές που εξερευνούν φαινόμενα φυλετικής ταυτότητας στην πρακτική τους. Το πλαίσιο για το «λευκό πέρασμα» συζητείται ως ιστορική μέθοδος για την επιβίωση της φυλετικής αδικίας. Θα εξεταστεί ο τρόπος με τον οποίο η συστηματική αορατότητα της λευκότητας ήταν αιτία για επιβλαβή ρατσισμό των ατόμων στο παρελθόν και το παρών. Το συμπέρασμα είναι ότι το «λευκό πέρασμα» ως ισοπεδωτική ετικέτα ταυτότητας εμπεριέχει επικίνδυνη ρητορική σχετικά με το κατά πόσο άτομα που έχουν υποστεί ρατσισμό επιτρέπεται να «χωρέσουν» στην κοινωνία εκείνων που τους καταπιέζουν.

KEYWORDS:

• Racial identity
• white passing
• whiteness
• psychotherapists
• counsellors
• intersectionality

SCHLÜSSELWÖRTER:

• Rassische Identität
• White Passing
• Weißsein
• Psychotherapeut*innen
• Berater*innen
• Intersektionalität

PALABRAS CLAVE:

• Identidad racial
• Paso Blanco
• Blancura
• Psicoterapeutas
• Consejeros
• Interseccionalidad

PAROLE CHIAVE:

• Parole chiave: identità razziale
• white passing
• bianchitudine
• psicoterapeuti
• counselor
• intersezionalità

ΛΈΞΕΙΣ-ΚΛΕΙΔΙΆ:

• Φυλετική ταυτότητα
• λευκό πέρασμα
• λευκότητα
• ψυχοθεραπευτές
• σύμβουλοι
• διαθεματικότητα

Acknowledgments

I would like to thank my research supervisor at the University of Manchester, Erica Burman, for her support in writing this theoretical paper as part of the Counselling Psychology doctorate unit on Challenging Oppression, Discrimination and Inequality.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1. Racialized and minoritized groups may in fact belong to a global majority (i.e. people of colour), but have been marginalised and/or discriminated against by the oppressive ‘majority’ system (i.e. whiteness) to the extent that they have been classed as a minority or had the salience of their racial profile emphasised due to it deviating from whiteness (Ahsan, 2020).

2. It is also important to note here that Fanon misses the mark in suggesting Jews form a uniform, white group in terms of skin colour, given that there are huge and diverse communities of Jews of colour worldwide. A recent report made by Stephen Bush to the Board of Deputies of British Jews highlights some of the issues around racism and stereotyping of Jews, and advocates greater racial inclusivity within Jewish organisations and culture in the UK.

3. Similar experiences are reflected in Nella Larsen’s (1926) novel Passing, adapted to film in 2021.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Olivia Mohtady

Olivia Mohtady is a doctoral student in Counselling Psychology at the University of Manchester. She has worked across organisational psychology settings with a social justice focus as well as having a clinical background supporting individuals with psychological difficulties.