Queering whiteness studies: exploring the (im)possibility of antiracist pedagogy as imagined by white, queer educators

Abstract

This paper engages the possibilities and paradoxes of antiracist pedagogy through an empirical analysis of white, queer postsecondary educators’ conceptualizations of and efforts toward antiracist teaching. Grounded in queer theory and Yoon’s articulation of whiteness-at-work, this research utilized narrative inquiry methodology to explore the (im)possibility of antiracist teaching for white educators. Findings point to the influence of queer subjectivity on participants’ ideas about and efforts toward antiracist pedagogical practice. Analysis of participants’ narratives illustrates multiple sites of tension and two forms of paradox (inward and outward) in their antiracist teaching efforts. Rather than offering so-called best practices of antiracist teaching, this research suggests queered approaches to antiracist pedagogy, articulated as an embrace of paradox.

Keywords:

• Antiracist pedagogy
• queer theory
• whiteness studies
• postsecondary teaching

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes

1 I use white supremacy as an encompassing term to include ideologies and enactments of racism. This usage is informed by Leonardo’s (2004) assertion that the rhetoric of racism fails to acknowledge white supremacy specifically and directly, limits the ability to critique what is occurring, and serves to protect the sensibilities of whites.

2 Qualifying the power and authority that Anthony and Elliot accessed as “granted” marks the hegemonic nature of whiteness in higher education. This usage is informed by Stewart and Nicolazzo’s (2018) discussion of a whiteness episteme.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

finn j. schneider

finn j. schneider (they/them), PhD, serves as the Interim Director of the Gender and Sexuality Center for Queer and Trans Life at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, as well as an adjunct faculty member at the University of St. Thomas. They recently completed their PhD in Organizational Leadership, Policy, and Development with an emphasis on Higher Education at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. finn’s research interests include antiracist pedagogy, LGBTQ + subjectivities in educational contexts, sexual violence prevention, and whiteness studies.