We might play different parts: theatrical improvisation and anti-racist pedagogy

ABSTRACT

This article reports on what three white critical whiteness scholars learned about the ways white supremacy was affirmed and resisted during a two-day improvisational, critical whiteness workshop. The authors relied on critical literacy to theorise the castle as a sign or text with implicit, racial meaning. Furthermore, the authors use improvisational theatre to design and make sense of critical pedagogy intended to disrupt the ongoing production of white supremacy. They consider how theatrical improvisation, as a pedagogical tool, might be used in critical whiteness pedagogy to disrupt the affirmation of white supremacy through signs and symbols.

KEYWORDS:

• Improvisation
• critical whiteness studies
• critical whiteness pedagogy
• critical race theory
• critical literacy

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Sam Tanner is an assistant professor of literacy education in The Pennsylvania State university system. He is concerned with issues of democratic education, especially in terms of race and arts-based educational research. Sam is also a creative writer (see www.samjtanner.com).

Erin Miller an assistant professor at The University of North Carolina, Charlotte. She is especially concerned with early literacy, anti-racist teaching pedagogies, critical whiteness studies, white teacher identities, and ethnographic methodologies. She currently serves as chair of the Early Childhood Education Assembly of the National Council of Teacher's of English.

Shannon Montgomery taught 1st–4th grade for 11 years, prior to returning to graduate school at The University of North Carolina, Charlotte. Shannon is interested in literacy, especially in relationship to issues of race.

Notes

1. We’ve disguised the name of the school and the students we discuss in this article.

2. Institutional review board approval is necessary to conduct research with human subjects, and we received approval for this study through the IRB at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte. The study received IRB approval in February of 2017.