‘But you’re white’: An autoethnography of whiteness and white privilege in East Asian universities

It is well established within the field of Critical Whiteness Studies that white privilege routinely materialises in Western universities. Yet, even though a third wave of Critical Whiteness Studies is increasingly focussing on whiteness in non-Western contexts, there has been insufficient attention toward whether white privilege also exists in East Asian universities. This article seeks to explore this issue by offering an autoethnography in which the author, a mixed-race academic who is racialised as white on some occasions and as a person of colour on others, critically interrogates whiteness in East Asian higher education. It is argued that those who are racialised as white are privileged in East Asian universities and may even seek to actively sustain this. In departing from the dominant understanding of whiteness as always-and-only privileging, this article also explores the extent to which white academics in East Asia may also be disadvantaged by their whiteness.

The Critique of American Racism in Steinbeck’s Travels with Charley

Written in the light of critical discourse about the social value of literary sympathy and against the backdrop of critical whiteness studies, the article deals with John Steinbeck’s non-fiction book Travels with Charley in Search of America. Framed by an interest in how the writer responded to the racial separation in the United States, the article demonstrates that this work, which is often dismissed as a “charming portrayal of America,” is a serious intervention in all sites of discrimination and domination.

‘How Goopy are you?’ Women, Goop and cosmic wellness

In this article, I’ll outline the phenomenon of ‘cosmic wellness’ which is now visible across on- and offline spaces that promote health and well-being products and practices to women. Cosmic wellness is a broad constellation of media, discourse, imagery, materials and foods (including crystals, dust and herbs) produced primarily by white, wealthy women. On the one hand, cosmic wellness can be read as a digital food culture that offers healthy and potentially necessary responses to fiercely neoliberal modes of working and living. But conversely, it is framed as the newest example of narcissistic self-absorption and, more seriously, as unhealthy and dangerous. Cosmic wellness is founded on various beliefs, including the moral necessity of pursuing the optimisation of self and the power of markets to provide the ingredients, tools and practices to achieve it. It is connected to histories that chart the incorporation of New Age health and well-being practices into ‘mainstream’ forms of lifestyle production and consumption and the simultaneous derision of these practices, especially when used and promoted by women. But there is also something new about cosmic wellness, especially as it is visible online on platforms such as Instagram. In the article, I outline the key features of cosmic wellness and analyse its contemporary cultural purchase, using theories of digital food cultures, spiritual production and consumption, postfeminism and critical whiteness studies. The article then conducts empirical analysis of a series of Instagram posts from one prominent space in which cosmic wellness currently circulates: Gwyneth Paltrow’s lifestyle and wellness business Goop.

Deconstructing Queer/Trans Aging: A Critical Discourse Analysis

This Major Research Paper (MRP) examines the recent discourse around LGBTQ older adults and aging that has started to be incorporated into Toronto’s senior care ostensibly to promote inclusion and diversity. Applying postmodernism, queer theory and critical whiteness studies as the theoretical framework, this MRP conducts a critical discourse analysis of (1) a sample of articles on older adults and aging from a Toronto-based LGBTQ-focused newspaper and (2) a sample of a LGBTQ2S cultural competency manual from Toronto’s city-run long-term care homes. The analysis of the findings demonstrates a white-centered, homogenizing and depoliticized discourse. The hope is to push conversations of queer/trans aging beyond homonormative models of senior care.

Deconstructing Queer/Trans Aging: A Critical Discourse Analysis

This Major Research Paper (MRP) examines the recent discourse around LGBTQ older adults and aging that has started to be incorporated into Toronto’s senior care ostensibly to promote inclusion and diversity. Applying postmodernism, queer theory and critical whiteness studies as the theoretical framework, this MRP conducts a critical discourse analysis of (1) a sample of articles on older adults and aging from a Toronto-based LGBTQ-focused newspaper and (2) a sample of a LGBTQ2S cultural competency manual from Toronto’s city-run long-term care homes. The analysis of the findings demonstrates a white-centered, homogenizing and depoliticized discourse. The hope is to push conversations of queer/trans aging beyond homonormative models of senior care.

Introduction

France is an overwhelmingly majority-White nation. Yet the French majority is reluctant to identify as White, and French social science has tended to eschew Whiteness as an object of inquiry. Inspired by critical race theory and critical Whiteness studies, this interdisciplinary special issue offers a new look at White identities in France. It does so not to recenter Whiteness by giving it prominence, but to expose and critique White dominance. This introduction examines the global and local dimensions of Whiteness, before identifying three salient dimensions of its French version: the ideology of the race-blind universalist republic; the past and present practice of French colonialism, slavery, and rule across overseas territories; and the racialization of people of Muslim or North African backgrounds as non-White.

Disrupting Whiteness Within Academia: Examining the Experiences and Understanding of Whiteness Among White Students Attending Ryerson University

This narrative qualitative research study explored the experiences and understanding of whiteness from three full-time white students at Ryerson University (RU). The theoretical framework draws from Critical Whiteness Studies (CWS) and Critical Whiteness Pedagogy (CWP). Based on existing literature on whiteness, this study utilized semi-structured telephone interviews with the three participants. The participants were randomly selected through recruitment posting and flyers on social media outlets such as Facebook. Data analysis included a thematic and structure of the narratives of the participants. The findings provided insight into how these white students at RU define whiteness and how they understand whiteness demonstrated in academia and, lastly, whether they have perpetrated or fought against whiteness within their academic institution. The results indicate that whiteness is not easily defined, and academia is incorporating diverse perspectives. This paper concludes with implications and discussion on future social work, followed by the conclusion. Key words: Academia, Critical Whiteness Studies, Critical Whiteness Pedagogy, colonialization, gender, whiteness, white students,