White faculty transforming whiteness in the classroom through pedagogical practice

Abstract

The primary objective of this qualitative study is to present a conceptual framework of pedagogical practices reported by white faculty that serve to challenge the hegemony of whiteness in the university classroom. These transformative teaching practices surfaced through a review of racialized pedagogies discussed in the literature and in interviews with a small sample of white faculty formally or informally recognized for their skill teaching in diverse classrooms. In an effort to bring greater resonance to these teaching practices, parallels are drawn between these practices and behaviors that take place in everyday social relations that also serve to transform white dominance. Included here are the following forms of interactions: Expressing racial awareness by disclosing personal whiteness, acknowledging and attending to plurality and revealing patterns of white hegemony; and challenging white supremacy by creating alliances and acting to alter structures and cultures. Presentation of these findings in a categorization system provides clarity about some ways whiteness is being transformed within higher education and offers a pragmatic guide for faculty and postsecondary institutions committed to faculty development around diversity issues.

Keywords:

• whiteness
• pedagogy
• faculty
• race
• hegemony
• postsecondary education