Towards a Black Whiteness studies: a response to the growing field

Abstract

This reflective essay documents my experiences, critiques, and application of critical whiteness studies in my own research, though, as proven below, they cannot be understood without my forever commitment to strengthen, expand, and re-imagine the field. To be clear, I do not critique for critique's sake, rather, I present my approach for the sake of forever expanding how CWS is operationalized in future research. CWS is a much-needed theory, framing, and field because its application to educational research drives the revealing of how whiteness operates in educational contexts; a condition, which left intact, will leave any attempts of racial justice fruitless. Therefore, I tread cautiously because as I may or may not subscribe to particular approaches within CWS, I do not by any means claim that there is one justifiable approach over another, especially when the entire field and theoretical application of CWS is dealing with widespread discreditation.

Keywords:

• Critical whiteness studies
• whiteness
• racial theory
• racial justice
• teacher education

Disclosure statement

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

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Cheryl E. Matias

Dr. Cheryl E. Matias was recently awarded the 2020 Mid-Career Award for her work on racial justice in teacher education at the premier organization, American Educational Research Association. She is a full professor and Director of Secondary Teacher Education at the University of Kentucky. Her research focuses on race and ethnic studies in education with a theoretical focus on critical race theory, critical whiteness studies, critical pedagogy and feminism of color. Specifically, she uses a feminist of color approach to deconstruct the emotionality of whiteness in urban teacher education and how it impacts urban education. Her other research interest is on motherscholarship and supporting women of color and motherscholars in the academy. A former K-12 teacher in both South Central, Los Angeles Unified School District and Bed-Stuyvesant, New York City Department of Education, she earned her bachelors in cultural communication from University of California San Diego, teaching credential at San Diego State University, and her master's in social and Multicultural Foundations at California State University, Long Beach. She earned her doctorate at UCLA with an emphasis in race and ethnic studies in education. She delivers national talks and workshops on whiteness, racial justice, and diversity. She was awarded the 2014 American Educational Research Association's Division K (Teacher Education) Innovations in Research on Diversity in Teacher Education Award and the 2015 and 2017 Colorado Rosa Parks Diversity Award. In 2015, she was awarded Excellence in Research by the School of Education & Human Development at University of Colorado Denver. In 2016 she was awarded the university's 2016 Graduate School's Dean Mentoring Award. In 2018 she was ranked as the top 25 women in higher education making a difference in the journal, Diverse: Issues in Higher Education. Some of her publications can be found in top tiered journals such as, Race, Ethnicity, and Education, Teachers College Record, Equity and Excellence, and Journal of Teacher Education. Her first solo-authored book entitled Feeling White: Whiteness, Emotionality, and Education earned the 2017 Honorable Mention for the Society of Professors of Education. Her second book, Surviving Becky(s): Pedagogies for Deconstructing Whiteness and Gender, came out January 2020 and has already been nominated for the AESA book award. Her third book Critical Theoretical Research Methods in Education came out May 2021. She is a motherscholar of three, including boy-girl twins, a runner, yogi, an avid Lakers and Dodgers fan, and Bachata ballroom dancer.