Instruments of white supremacy: people of colour resisting white domination in higher education

Abstract

This article extends the critical race literature in education by theorising the ways through which white power passes through the bodies of people of colour in higher education institutions. Using autoethnographic inquiry of our experiences as non-white academic and professional staff in two Australian universities, we examine the ways we became co-opted into reinforcing white privilege while subordinating or marginalising students of colour. Rather than complying with the white supremacist ideologies and practices of our institutions, we explore the potentials for resistance against the institutionalised racial order, recognising that writing and publishing our experiences is one approach to speaking out against white supremacy at our universities.

Keywords:

• Critical race theory
• white supremacy
• instrumentalisation
• higher education
• resistance

Notes

1. Indigenist perspectives in our interpretation denote an Indigenous-focused viewpoint which privileges Indigenous worldviews, knowledges and voices in academic work. Grounded in Indigenous epistemologies and Indigenous standpoint theory, Indigenist viewpoints can be shared by both Indigenous and nonindigenous scholars. Works of Dennis Foley (2003) and Lester-Irabinna Rigney (2006) provide further details on the processes of Indigenist research.

2. In Indigenous Australian context, (Secret) Men’s Business is ‘a private, cultural experience only involving invited men’ (http://remotehealthatlas.nt.gov.au/mens_business_central_australia.pdf).