Understanding And Managing Sophisticated And Everyday Racism

Sophisticated Racism: Understanding and Managing the Complexity of Everyday Racism adopts a fresh approach to the study of racism. Victoria Showunmi and Carol Tomlin identify the prevalence of sophisticated racism and explore how it manifests itself in society, particularly in the workplace. The authors narrate examples of everyday racism from the lived experiences of Black women. They take the reader on a compelling journey from the sources of racism through narratives of disquieting racist events to the destination of affirming approaches to preserving a sense of self and individual identity in the face of sophisticated racism. The authors explain how the interplay between Black women and White women originates in historical patterns of behavior which emerged on the plantations during enslavement. The term ‘White women syndrome’ has been coined to represent attempts to defend the limited space for female success by denigrating and excluding Black women. A unique feature of the book is that it reaches beyond the historical context to the provision of strategies for managing sophisticated and everyday racism in contemporary society.

While there are numerous studies of racism and racial inequality at the macro-level of analysis, there has been little work done on the experience of everyday racism for black people. Philomena Essed′s brilliant work fills this gap. This landmark volume compares contemporary racism in the United States and the Netherlands through in-depth interview data from more than 2,000 experiences of black women. As an interdisciplinary analysis of gendered social constructions of racism, it breaks new ground. Essed problematizes and reinterprets many of the meanings and everyday practices that the majority of society has come to take for granted. She addresses crucial but largely neglected dimensions of racism: How is racism experienced in everyday situations? How do black women recognize covert expressions of racism? What knowledge of racism do black women have, and how is this knowledge acquired? How do they challenge racism in everyday life? To answer these questions, over two thousand experiences of black women are analyzed within a theoretical framework that integrates the disciplines of macro- and micro-sociology, social psychology, discourse analysis, race relations theory, and women′s studies. Samples include only black women with higher education. Many of their experiences of racism involve the "elite" among the dominant group. The book seriously challenges both the notion of Dutch tolerance and the idea that U.S. racism is a problem of the past. With this concept in mind, Understanding Everyday Racism is urgent reading. Essed′s volume represents a landmark in the study of race and ethnicity and will interest researchers, lecturers, students, and professionals of discourse analysis, policy and women′s studies, sociology, psychology, management, psychotherapy, and qualitative methodology. "Without getting bogged down in nit-picking about the definition of racism, the author has succeeded in presenting the true face of racism and has investigated the sociology and psychology of racism. A marvellously subtle and skillful report of everyday racism." --Counselling Psychology Quarterly "In this provocative book, Philomena Essed weaves insights from psychology, sociology, discourse analysis, and women′s studies into an original and important new theoretical framework. She combines a phenomenological approach of describing the experiences of individuals with a structural account of inequality." --Contemporary Psychology "Racism remains a contested concept in both popular and scholarly discourse. Typically unaware of the extent of institutionalized racism, whites generally deny that racism exists. People of color typically see things differently and interpret the dominant group perspective as insensitive and insincere. Philomena Essed′s groundbreaking volume, Understanding Everyday Racism tackles this ambiguity surrounding both popular and scholarly interpretations of racism and sheds considerable light on the difference between dominant and subordinate group views. . . . Essed′s volume makes an extremely important and unique contribution to our understanding of contemporary racism." --Contemporary Sociology

"Excavating Whiteness follows a group of White teachers as they learned about the role of race in education through an intensive summer course. Each teacher's journey is represented in their own words as they worked to understand how White identity is constructed and often misunderstood as a part of teaching"--

bell hooks—feminist scholar, teacher, activist—implored instructors to see the classroom as a “radical space of possibility” where students and teachers work as partners in the pursuit of education as “collective liberation” from structures of domination. hooks’ call takes on more urgency today, as oppressive and dominant ideologies continue to perpetuate racial, economic, gender, and other social inequities both within the classroom and society at large. Through critical commentary reflections on classroom experiences and original teaching activities, the authors in bell hooks' Engaged Pedagogy for the 21st Century Classroom: Radical Spaces of Possibility provide inspiration for teachers with the will to learn and the courage to teach about intersecting systems of oppression in meaningful, radical ways. The goal of this collection is to carry forth hooks’ legacy of education as freedom and to serve as a guide that renews faith that “teaching to transgress” racist, sexist, and classist systems of oppression is not only possible, but is a first step in transforming the world.

For urban middle school Black girls to fit in educational settings and society they must be seen and understood in their unique ways. They must be able to utilize certain literacies that assist with navigating what they say and how they speak, their confidence, expressions, and identities, as Black girls in these settings. In The Influence of Dramatic Arts on Literacies for Black Girls in Middle School, York demonstrates the impact that practicing drama strategies has on foundational, digital, and identity literacies for middle school Black girls. Personal stories of Black girls are shared on how drama strategies help them navigate discrimination, racist and misogynistic slurs, and even support their self confidence and public speaking. The basis of these stories are told through a Black feminist thought lens, which York uses to take readers through surprising drama strategies that Black girls adopt to help them become resilient and confident while embracing themselves fully. Readers will see the benefits of Black girls practicing drama in a safe space guided by a drama teacher that is a Black women who chooses culturally relevant pedagogy for her students.

Narratives of South Asian and South Asian American Social Justice Educators carries the voices of faculty in higher education. Caught between the stereotypes of the model minority and invisibleness, the authors narrate their triumphs, trials and tribulations as social justice educators in US teacher education and in allied fields. Their autoethnography-based narratives substantiate that a racial America is far from over. Stemming from their experiences in classrooms and in the community, the authors offer usable strategies to educators and administrators, with the objective of creating a socially just society.

The Power and Freedom of Black Feminist and Womanist Pedagogy explores diverse perspectives on the liberating power of Black feminist and womanist pedagogical practices. The contributors boldly tell groundbreaking stories of their teaching experiences and their evolving relationships to Black feminist and womanist theory and criticism.

Wellbeing is essential for Black women professionals who are experiencing racial and gender battle fatigue within White spaces and beyond. Strategies for maintaining and thriving are presented not only for them, but for White institutions to become more aware and active in helping to address necessary change.