“Be/coming” White and the Myth of White Ignorance: Identity Projects in White Communities

Abstract

Communication studies of White enculturation practices are almost nonexistent despite the centrality of discursive fields in building Whiteness as an embodied way of life. The process of becoming White is investigated via exploration of racial enculturation practices. Data are 124 racial epiphany stories of Whites responding to the question: “When was the first time you became aware that you had a race and what that meant?” Two themes emerged: Performances of Whiteness by Family/Friends and Public Performances of White Privilege.

Keywords:

• Enculturation
• Epiphany
• Intercultural Communication
• Race
• Whiteness

Notes

^1. For example, see (Alexander, 2004; Chidester, 2008; Collier, 2005; Cooks, 2003; Crenshaw, 1997, 1998; Endres & Gould, 2009; Grimes, 2002; Holling, 2011; Holling et al., 2014; Jackson, 1999; Jackson & Heckman, 2002; Liera-Schwichtenberg, 2000; Mayer, 2005; Miller & Harris, 2005; Moon, 1999; Moon & Flores, 2000; Nakayama & Martin, 2007; Poniatowski & Whiteside, 2012; Rowe & Malhotra, 2007; Shome, 2000; Simpson, 2008; Steyn, 2001; Warren, 2001a, 2001b; Yousman, 2003; Zhang, Gajjala, & Watkins, 2012)

^2. By White racial frame, I refer to those sets of cultural beliefs that come to define racial identity/reality for Whites (Feagin, 2013). Historically the White racial frame, as it operates in the U.S. context, has remained fairly consistent in its delineations, and is inherently White supremacist. Putting aside the “White pointy hat” version of White supremacy, I conceive, following Cheryl Harris (1993), that White supremacy is a normative part of American everyday life, comprised of three interrelated elements: White ideologies of superiority/inferiority manifested in countless ways, White privilege (a system of racial advantage invented by Whites to serve Whites and prevent peoples of color from fully accessing social and political equity thus challenging White dominance), and institutionalized Whiteness (social and political institutions, laws, social policy, everyday racialized practices, etc.) that support and help to form a White ideological script. Also noted is that I use White racial knowledge, White epistemology, and White racial frame as interchangeable notions.

^3. It is worth noting that all of the stories in the Preemptive Strategies section reference Black bodies, especially males. Given the long history of White animosity towards Blackness, this is not surprising; however it is worth thinking about how these early negative references to Blackness form the foundation of the development of a White self among young White children. For more on the notion, see, for example, Flores & Moon (2002).

^4. I use the term “dis-privileged” to denote an active process of systematically stripping marginalized groups of rights rather than what the more popular term “unprivileged” conveys.

^5. By “White-thinking Whites” I refer to those Whites who are uncritically entrenched in a White epistemological worldview.