Abstract
Much of the attention of critical race studies in the United States has been targeted at colorblindness in white America. This paper considers a small but significant subset of whites who have received far less attention: politically progressive whites who are race cognizant. Drawing from my teaching experiences in the U.S. and research experience in Brazil, I review what I have found to be the principal barriers to antiracism among this population and in the process advance a number of theoretical debates within critical race studies. I also offer pedagogical strategies for enabling progressive whites to become more effective antiracists. These teaching recommendations include demonstrating how racial literacy is learned, underscoring how whites, pay a price for white supremacy, challenging instrumentalist assumptions about white resistance to antiracism, and pushing whites to engage with antiracist counterpublics of color.
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Warren, J. (2014). After Colorblindness: Teaching Antiracism to White Progressives in the U.S.. In: Haltinner, K. (eds) Teaching Race and Anti-Racism in Contemporary America. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7101-7_12
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