White Fragility

Objective. We propose and develop novel survey questions and quantitative summary indices of White Fragility. Methods. The data come from the 2018 Survey of White Fragility, a longitudinal convenience sample of 279 non-Hispanic white undergraduate students aged 18 and over taking courses at two large public universities in the southeastern and southwestern United States. Results. Factor analyses revealed two latent factors. The first factor—Remorse Fragility—was defined by feeling sad, guilty, and, to a lesser extent, angry in the context of discussions related to racism, race-based discrimination, and white privilege. The second factor—Depletion Fragility—was defined by feeling drained/exhausted, unsafe, and, to a lesser extent, attacked and confused in the same contexts. Additional analyses supported the reliability and validity of our indices. Conclusion. More research is needed to establish measures of White Fragility to inform interventions that support critical discussions of whiteness and the racist structures of society.

In early 2018, one of the co-authors, Prof. Paul Tapsell, commenced work on re-visioning and re-establishing Indigenous Studies at the University of Melbourne after a considerable period of its decline. This paper reflects on the political and bureaucratic challenges this project presented. We focus on the implications of the project for non-Indigenous learning design units, frameworks and designers, in the context of institutional imperatives to 'decolonise' or 'Indigenise' education by developing robust undergraduate programs informed by Indigenous thought and pedagogy. Co-authors Dr Kay Are and Dr Wajeehah Aayeshah (learning designers from Arts Teaching Innovation, Faculty of Arts, University of Melbourne) were engaged to devise anti-colonial teaching and assessment strategies in service of the Indigenous Studies program’s desire to teach through Indigenous knowledges. Yet consciousness of their own positionalities inhibited - rightly - the carrying out of this task. Are and Aayeshah reflect on their experiences as non-Indigenous researchers - Anglo-Celtic Australian and Pakistani, respectively - seeking to identify the classroom as a colonial technology, locate themselves politically in the Program’s project, and support anti-colonial approaches to tertiary learning design. Their discussion takes in diAngelo's concept of 'white fragility' and Indigenous Australian responses to it, to point to the deficit of self-critical racial literacy in existing frameworks for non-Indigenous learning design.

There is a large and growing literature on communal interpretive resources, the concepts, theories, narratives, etc. a community draws on in interpreting its members and their world. (They're also called "hermeneutical resources" in some places and "epistemic resources" in others.) Several recent contributions to this literature have concerned dominant and resistant interpretive resources and how they affect concrete lived interactions. In this paper,

Drawing on the intellectual work of Black and afro- pessimist scholars such as Frank B. Wilderson III, Christina Sharpe, Saidiya Hartman and Denise Ferreira da Silva, I want to elucidate the ways in which blackness and black
life have become contested, unfathomable ‘objects’ in Swedish mainstream
media debates. I locate my discussion at the interface between those debates, afro- pessimist legacies and my position as a black film and media scholar before, during, and after the release of the animated children’s film Liten Skär och Alla Små Brokiga [Little Pink and The Motley Crew] (Stina Wirsén, Sweden, 2012). My aim is to examine the ways in which the film’s pickaninny figure, Little Heart, and the hurtfulness of this stereotype were discussed and contested in the debate around the film. I argue that the debate ended up producing a sense of white fragility as a priority instead of dealing with anti- black racism, its consequences for black people, and its ongoing maintenance through cultural production and debate.

Denial of Islamophobia as a form of racism is widespread among French intellectual and political elites. Time and again it has been claimed in op-eds, talk shows, investigative journalistic work and even in full-length books devoted to the topic that the invocation of Islamophobia is part of an Islamist conspiracy to ‘silence legitimate criticism of Islam’, and no less than a threat to ‘republican values’ and laïcité (laicism). Even anti-racist activists would want to see the term ‘banished’, and academic dictionaries of racism see in it a tool of ‘blackmail’ and ‘intimidation’. Though what I call ‘Islamophobia denial’ can be observed across the western world, France is exceptional on two accounts: first, virulent denial is the most common mainstream posture on Islamophobia, transcending traditional political camps, whereas in other parts of the western world denial is more localized on the right and the far right. Second, the argumentative toolbox of Islamophobia denial, a consistent if problematic set of assertions and allegations to be found in all its global iterations, from the United States to Scandinavia, was developed in France and proceeds from the specific intellectual history of the ‘Muslim question’ in that country. It is that history of origins, development and reception that this article sets out to analyse.

ABSTRACT
This bricolage of writings is the result of a white privileged woman exploring her social conscience in a scholarly but creative way. It is a meander through the cultural abyss between black and white Australia, trying to see what I had never been shown, and unsee what I had been shown. I wonder how can I be complicit and complacent in a society that privileges me over others because of the colour of my skin?

I combine a creative practice of storytelling to question the status quo that is the dominant culture, the mercurial methodology of poetics, and the autoethnographic eye that guides a reflexive process of personal decolonisation. I bring to the research a burgeoning awareness of colonised minds, bodies, spirits and lenses and am confident my fresh eyes, curiosity and commitment to unlearn, unsee and unsettle can be deftly deployed to challenge and disrupt the prejudices and perceptions of my fellow white Australians.

This is not a problem-solving piece of research, although I am exploring the nature of a problem. The problem – which is often erroneously cast as the ‘Aboriginal Problem’ when it is a Whiteness Problem – is the core of my research. But I am not focusing just on First Nations peoples and their legacy of colonisation; rather, I examine our shared legacy, turning the gaze back on white Australia, holding up a mirror, to ask with all sincerity: Who is the problem? Where is the problem? What have we done? Why weren’t we told? Did you really just say that?

'Skin in the Game' is 2 of 6 chapbooks that comprise my creative practice creative writing PhD.

This paper positions public mass gun violence (PMGV) as
an intergenerational consequence of the violence of colonization, coloniality, and slavery in the United States. I map how the shooter’s white privilege, alongside his white/male fragility, combined with
a national consciousness built on an ethos of colonization and coloniality, leads him to believe he has unearned “rights” to the social riches of the center.

I proffer that most of us who benefit from capitalist, neo-liberal, patriarchal state and social institutions are complicit in co-creating the conditions that produce PMGV’s gunboys and gunmen because in order to benefit from these institutions, we perpetuate a system of insiders and outsiders. As illustrated, some possibilities for allaying violence are grounded in practicing critical self-reflection and capacities for discomfort.

This article initially analyzes the 2016 political landscape to pinpoint the forces that fueled Donald J. Trump's campaign and election. Turning to artist Robert Lopez's performance as El Vez at San Diego's Taco Fest, I discuss how his performance conjoins Chicanidad with popular entertainment, using humour, spectacle, and music to forestall the defensive moves of white fragility, allowing him to speak across divisive lines. Lopez-as-El-Vez deftly sidesteps defensive reactions as he asserts uncomfortable racial truths. By grounding this show in the shared culture of popular entertainment, he uses performance to make a pointed political, cultural, and racialized intervention. In performance, El Vez not only outmanoeuvres white fragility, but also constructs a contact-zone audiotopia that allows for the practice of a fun, messy, raucous collectivity. His performances lay bare the structures of racism as they simultaneously envision a more equitable future, accessible through El Vez himself. Karen Jean Martinson is an Assistant Professor in the Communications, Media Arts and Theatre programme. She also works professionally as a dramaturg and director.

This draft is one of two chapters that engage with the work of Robin DiAngelo, namely her book, White Fragility. Both chapters are from my book length manuscript -- "In Defense of the Vulnerable: White Fragility, Peace and Conflict Studies, and the Interdisciplinary Production of Knowledge -- under final revisions for review at Palgrave Pivot. This chapter is a rejoinder to an increasingly uncharitable chorus of critics I have referred to elsewhere as the Anti-Anti- Crowd, those who work diligently to find fault with anti-racists, or anyone who dares oppose the forces of hate: National Review, which sees the alleged greed motive as the only redeeming quality in the fight against bigotry, Aero magazine, masters in the art of academic misconduct and of picking on the little guy (and girl), and the alt-lite Quillette, founded by alt-right Islamophobe Claire Lehmann. (See, "It’s Always what Comes After the “But,” Newest to Join the Anti-Anti-Racism Crowd Reveals the Same Irrational Hatred of Robin DiAngelo," Medium.org). My other chapter engaging with DiAngelo's number 1 bestseller, offering my own critique of her work, will be uploaded soon.

This draft is one of two chapters that engage with the work of Robin DiAngelo, namely her book, White Fragility. Both chapters are from my book length manuscript --  "In Defense of the Vulnerable: White Fragility, Peace and Conflict Studies, and the Interdisciplinary Production of Knowledge -- under final revisions for review at Palgrave Pivot. This chapter is a rejoinder to an increasingly uncharitable chorus of critics I have referred to elsewhere as the Anti-Anti- Crowd, those who work diligently to find fault with anti-racists, or anyone who dares oppose the forces of hate: National Review, which sees the alleged greed motive as the only redeeming quality in the fight against bigotry, Aero magazine, masters in the art of academic misconduct and of picking on the little guy (and girl), and the alt-lite Quillette, founded by alt-right Islamophobe Claire Lehmann. (See, "It’s Always what Comes After the “But,” Newest to Join the Anti-Anti-Racism Crowd Reveals the Same Irrational Hatred of Robin DiAngelo," Medium.org). My other chapter engaging with DiAngelo's number 1 bestseller, offering my own critique of her work, will be uploaded soon.

As U.S. elite independent schools become more racially inclusive, white students may perceive a shift in their social position. Using qualitative data from school climate surveys at 10 such schools, 2014-2018, we explore how white adolescent boys experience these shifts emotionally. We find that a subset of particularly vocal white boys express key characteristics of white fragility and colorblind racism both in the negative feelings they report and the frames they use to explain race relations in their social worlds. Other boys, in contrast, show signs of a developing critical consciousness around race and racism in school. The findings underscore adolescence as a critical period for intervention on the developing perspectives and emotions of white boys. We conclude with a discussion of the necessity of a closer examination of how independent schools reckon with structures of whiteness in their culture as they attempt to engage in diversity and equity efforts.

This article initially analyzes the 2016 political landscape to pinpoint the forces that fueled Donald J. Trump’s campaign and election. Turning to artist Robert Lopez’s performance as El Vez at San Diego’s Taco Fest, I discuss how his performance conjoins Chicanidad with popular entertainment, using humour, spectacle, and music to forestall the defensive moves of white fragility, allowing him to speak across divisive lines. Lopez-as-El-Vez deftly sidesteps defensive reactions as he asserts uncomfortable racial truths. By grounding this show in the shared culture of popular entertainment, he uses performance to make a pointed political, cultural, and racialized intervention. In performance, El Vez not only outmaneuvers white fragility, but also constructs a contact-zone audiotopia that allows for the practice of a fun, messy, raucous collectivity. His performances lay bare the structures of racism as they simultaneously envision a more equitable future, accessible through El Vez him...

Purpose: Although recent work has made significant contributions to our theoretical understanding of white fragility, more empirical work is needed to establish the social causes of this particular form of racial stress. Our chapter builds on previous research by assessing gender and socioeconomic variations in white fragility. Methodology: Data come from the 2018 Survey of White Fragility, a convenience sample of 279 non-Hispanic white undergraduate students aged 18 years and over attending two large public universities in the southeastern and southwestern United States. Findings: Results indicate that women tend to exhibit higher levels of remorse fragility (feeling sad, guilty, and angry). There were no gender differences in depletion fragility (feeling drained/exhausted, unsafe, attacked, and confused). Parental education was unrelated to levels of white fragility. Overall parental socioeconomic status was initially associated with lower levels of remorse and depletion fragility, but these associations were confounded by a general measure of nonspecific psychological distress. Research Limitations/Implications: Research limitations include a nonprobability sampling design and low external validity. Originality/Value of Paper: This study contributes to previous work by establishing gender variations in white fragility. We also reveal that socioeconomic variations in white fragility may be confounded by the broader social distribution of psychological distress

This chapter explores the sociopolitical implications of adopting multilingual pedagogies in teacher education. More specifically, the authors draw on data from a qualitative inquiry of how racism manifested and was addressed and ignored within an online undergraduate ESL methodology course for pre-service teachers (PSTs). Classwork from PSTs and interviews with PSTs revealed that race was an uncomfortable topic that PSTs rarely underscored despite the inextricable link between language and race. Using white fragility as a guiding framework, the authors highlight how the predominantly White PSTs understood and perceived the course’s coverage of race. Considering the limited coverage of race in the course, the PSTs’ confusion with key terminology, and patterns of defensive behaviors in response to discussions on race, the chapter closes with suggestions of how to raise racial awareness in an effort to better implement the instruction of multilingual pedagogies in language methodology...

DiAngelo's analysis of 'white fragility' has drawn enormous global attention. Ironically, she cannot explain the origins of this fragility. This video, together with Jim's review of DiAngelo's book, explains this: White fragility is a response to the implicit undermining by Blacks of an unspoken and invisible theology, that is not formally recognized, yet underlies Western secular values.

Thunder Bay, northwestern Ontario is a regional city that is home to a predominantly white population. Thunder Bay’s population is 90% white and has a growing Indigenous population which now constitutes 8% of the total population (Macdonald, 2017); thus, the remaining 2% is comprised of all the racialized peoples, defined here as those who do not self-identify as white or Indigenous. This study aims to understand how place shapes the lived experiences of racialized peoples in Thunder Bay.

This project takes a social constructivist approach, wherein eight participants took part in face-to-face in-depth semi-structured interviews to discuss their experiences in Thunder Bay. Through a hermeneutical phenomenological approach to analysis, their stories revealed themes of overt aggressions, microaggressions, and lateral violence. These themes initiate discussion of what “Thunder Bay” means, racism in Thunder Bay, and racialized people’s feelings of safety in Thunder Bay.

This paper positions public mass gun violence (PMGV) as an intergenerational consequence of the violence of colonization, coloniality, and slavery in the United States. I map how the shooter’s white privilege, alongside his white/male fragility, combined with a national consciousness built on an ethos of colonization and coloniality, leads him to believe he has unearned “rights” to the social riches of the center.  I proffer that most of us who benefit from capitalist, neo-liberal, patriarchal state and social institutions are complicit in co-creating the conditions that produce PMGV’s gunboys and gunmen because in order to  benefit from these institutions, we perpetuate a system of insiders and outsiders. As illustrated, some possibilities for allaying violence are grounded in practicing critical self-reflection and pedagogies of discomfort.

This draft is one of two chapters that engage with the work of Robin DiAngelo, namely her book, White Fragility. Both chapters are from my book length manuscript --  "In Defense of the Vulnerable: White Fragility, Peace and Conflict Studies, and the Interdisciplinary Production of Knowledge -- under final revisions for review at Palgrave Pivot. This chapter is a rejoinder to an increasingly uncharitable chorus of critics I have referred to elsewhere as the Anti-Anti- Crowd, those who work diligently to find fault with anti-racists, or anyone who dares oppose the forces of hate: National Review, which sees the alleged greed motive as the only redeeming quality in the fight against bigotry, Aero magazine, masters in the art of academic misconduct and of picking on the little guy (and girl), and the alt-lite Quillette, founded by alt-right Islamophobe Claire Lehmann. (See, "It’s Always what Comes After the “But,” Newest to Join the Anti-Anti-Racism Crowd Reveals the Same Irrational Hatred of Robin DiAngelo," Medium.org). My other chapter engaging with DiAngelo's number 1 bestseller, offering my own critique of her work, will be uploaded soon.