Locating the “white” in critical whiteness studies: considerations for white scholars seeking to dismantle whiteness within educational research

Abstract

In this essay, I reflect on and detail some of my experiences navigating the question of what it means for white scholars and white researchers to critically engage their own whiteness within the context of educational research. Considering my current academic role as a faculty member who works primarily with graduate students in educational leadership, students who include white people who are seeking to better understand racism and white supremacy, this reflective essay details my thoughts regarding white people who wish to use educational research to uncover, expose, and disrupt whiteness and white supremacy within schools and contexts that are school adjacent, such as education organizations and education non-profits. I walk the reader through various aspects of my own journey understanding my racialized self, how racism and white supremacy connect to Critical Whiteness Studies (CWS) as a field of inquiry, and ending with my considerations for white scholars.

Keywords:

• Critical whiteness studies
• whiteness
• white supremacy
• CRT
• educational research

Disclosure statement

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

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Socorro Morales

Socorro Morales (she/her), PhD is an assistant professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies at the University of Texas at San Antonio. Her scholarship intersects critical race theory, Chicana/Latina feminisms, and critical youth studies in examining Chicanx educational inequity and youth resistance. She is also a Visiting Scholar with the Center for Critical Race Studies in Education (CCRSE) at UCLA.