Opinions on 'whiteness theory'?

Question

What do people think of whiteness theory, seen as  an amalgam of two propositions: (1) whether a person is considered “white” or “black” is a cultural not a biological fact (thus, for example, immigrants initially characterized as “black Irish” came to be considered “white” after they demonstrated sufficient hostility toward African Americans); (2) hostility to black workers is an essential aspect of the making of the white working class in the United States and nothing can be done about it.

Comments

please tag your questions!

 

also, you might be interested in this

http://anarchy101.org/10064/ready-serious-conversation-about-blackness-civil-society?show=10064#q10064

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i'm not sure that whiteness theory is simply about 'white' and 'black', given the fact that slavery and intra-working-class antagonisms in the western hemisphere are practiced on land cleared of 'red' who many 'whites' hated just as much. as for white working class formation, 'blacks' weren't the only target. i'd say the Chinese Exclusion Act ('the Yellow Peril') remains amply demonstrative.

there's more, but this for now.

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"whiteness theory"...? really? wtf? i will have to look that one up.

i would second af's questioning of the white vs black limitation? my latino, japanese, syrian, east indian and american indian friends would feel so left out.

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i just finished Robin DiAngelo's book _What Does It Mean To Be White_ and thought it worthwhile on many levels. She's a bit too liberal for my taste in some ways (although she even challenges herself here)...but...but...i have to say it still challenged me in some ways and in ways i'd not expected. for one, it ain't about feeling guilty. it's about becoming sensitive to power relations and listening to others in a very deep way. our skin means a great deal and not only the meanings we give our own skins.

for a shortish talk link the link.

Answer 1

to the extent that whiteness should be theorized about as other states of being, cultural realities have been, then i think it's great.

to the extent that most theorizing along the lines of identity is crappy, i don't have a lot of hope for whiteness studies to be helpful to me or my projects.

to the extent that whiteness studies is a pole around which pro-white/anti-non-white people will rally (as men's studies has been a place for sexists to convene), i am suspicious.

Comments

i think i get what you're saying, but i don't think 'whiteness studies' encompasses what you (may?) think it does. the fact that most whites live in a segregated manner and believe anti-racism is simply an individualistic phenomenon is important to realize.