The faces of whiteness: pitfalls and the critical democrat

Abstract

This essay stems from previously reported critical ethnographic data regarding educators participating in graduate‐level classes on whiteness. The metaphor of “faces of whiteness” is adopted here to signify that individuals occupy particular stances toward White privilege and its consequences in a dynamic and nonlinear fashion. The Torpified face represents individuals who are stunned by new realizations and rising guilt regarding race. The Missionary face seeks to intervene in others' racial consciousness without adequate reflection and self‐knowledge. The Cynic face regards racial barriers as too intransigent to warrant action. The Intellectualizer face articulates knowledge about whiteness but uses expert status to distance active engagement. The Critical Democrat face, in contrast to the other four, abides and thrives on the tensions between reflection and action, speaking out and listening, guilt and agency. Notwithstanding critiques of White Western conceptions of democracy, the Critical Democrat face of whiteness is well suited as a stepping stone toward multicultural understanding.

Keywords:

• whiteness
• multicultural education
• race
• dialogue
• critical ethnography

Notes

John T. Warren (PhD, Southern Illinois University, 2001) is an assistant professor in the School of Communication Studies, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, 43403. Kathy Hytten (PhD, University of North Carolina‐Chapel Hill, 1996) is an associate professor in the Department of Education Administration and Higher Education at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Carbondale, IL, 62901. This paper was previously presented at the 2001 American Educational Studies Association convention in Miami Beach, FL. John Warren can be contacted at [email protected]

Additional information

Notes on contributors

John T. Warren

John T. Warren (PhD, Southern Illinois University, 2001) is an assistant professor in the School of Communication Studies, Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green, OH, 43403. Kathy Hytten (PhD, University of North Carolina‐Chapel Hill, 1996) is an associate professor in the Department of Education Administration and Higher Education at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, Carbondale, IL, 62901. This paper was previously presented at the 2001 American Educational Studies Association convention in Miami Beach, FL. John Warren can be contacted at [email protected]