Whiteness in Racial Dialogue: A Discourse Analysis Robin J. DiAngelo A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy University of Washington 2004 Program Authorized to Offer Degree: College of Education UMI Number: 3131146 INFORMATION TO USERS The quality of this reproduction is dependent upon the quality of the copy submitted. Broken or indistinct print, colored or poor quality illustrations and photographs, print bleed-through, substandard margins, and improper alignment can adversely affect reproduction. In the unlikely event that the author did not send a complete manuscript and there are missing pages, these will be noted. Also, if unauthorized copyright material had to be removed, a note will indicate the deletion. ® UMI UMI Microform 3131146 Copyright 2004 by ProQuest Information and Learning Company. All rights reserved. This microform edition is protected against unauthorized copying under Title 17, United States Code. ProQuest Information and Learning Company 300 North Zeeb Road P.O. Box 1346 Ann Arbor, Ml 48106-1346 University of Washington Graduate School This is to certify that I have examined this copy of a doctoral dissertation by Robin J. DiAngelo and have found that it is complete and satisfactory in all respects, and that any and all revisions required by the final examining committee have been made. Chair of Supervisory Committee: Reading Committee: David G. Allen ~Edward Taylor Date: 5 } ::t ~ } 0 LJ In presenting this dissertation in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the doctoral degree at the University of Washington, I agree that the Library shall make its copies freely available for inspection. I further agree that extensive copying of the dissertation is allowable only for scholarly purposes, consistent with "fair use" as prescribed in the U.S. Copyright Law. Requests for copying or reproduction of this dissertation may be referred to Proquest Information and Leaming, 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48106-1346, to whom the author has granted "the right to reproduce and sell (a) copies of the manuscript in microform and/or (b) printed copies of the manuscript made from microform." Signature~ University of Washington Abstract Whiteness in Racial Dialogue: A Discourse Analysis Robin J. DiAngelo Chair of Supervisory Committee Professor James A. Banks College of Education The purpose of this study was to describe and analyize the discourses used by White preservice teachers in a dialogue about race with people of color. I used Whiteness theory to frame my observations, which defines Whiteness as a set of racialized relations that are historically, socially, politically and culturally produced. These relations result in White domination of people of color. Whiteness is a function of racism, and refers to the dimensions of racism that serve to elevate Whites. From the framework of Whiteness, I observed a series of facilitated interracial dialogues. Participants were seven White preservice teachers and five students of color. They participated in a series of four, two-hour sessions facilitated by an interracial team trained to lead dialogues on race. My analysis focused on describing the production of Whiteness in this context and the ways in which White preservice teachers discursively produced their racial positions in these conversations. I used discourse analysis to analyze my observations. Discourse analysis is the study of language use in social contexts, and is concerned with how ideologies are communicated (Evans, 2002;Gee, 1999). Discourse analysis allows for a nuanced explication of the socially and historically informed discourses that are available for negotiating racial positions, and can reveal processes of racism that would likely be formally denied by participants (Van Dijk, 1993). I document and analyze two master discourses of Whiteness in practice: individualism and universalism. Individualism posits that Whites are first and foremost individuals who have earned their place in society on their own merit. It works to deny that Whites benefit from their racial group memberships. Universalism posits that White interests and perspectives are objective and representative of all groups. An additional discourse that has not been highly visible in the Whiteness literature also surfaced: personal experience. This discourse represents racial perspectives as internal and private rather than as social or interrelational. All of these discourses serve to obscure White power and privilege and to reproduce Whiteness. I discuss the implications of these findings for teacher education, classroom teaching, and for White researchers conducting race related research. Table of Contents Chapter 1: Framing the Problem ................................................................................... 1 The Problem of Whiteness ....................................................................................... 1 An Explanation of Terms Used ................................................................................ 6 Positioning Myself. .................................................................................................. 8 Review of the Literature on Whiteness ..................................................................... 9 Interrupting Whiteness .......................................................................................... 17 Dialogue Process .................................................................................................. 18 Summary ............................................................................................................... 22 Chapter 2: Methodology ............................................................................................. 23 Discourse Analysis ................................................................................................ 23 Choice ofSite ........................................................................................................ 25 Participant Selection ............................................................................................. 26 Data Collection Methods ....................................................................................... 27 Coding .................................................................................................................. 28 Positioning ............................................................................................................ 35 Validity and Reliability.......................................................................................... 36 Generalizability .................................................................................................... 46 Limitations ............................................................................................................ 49 Study Procedures .................................................................................................. 50 Participant Key ..................................................................................................... 50 Summary ............................................................................................................... 51 Chapter 3: Data Analysis I ......................................................................................... 53 The Moves of Whiteness: Overview ....................................................................... 53 I Am Not White ...................................................................................................... 55 Meritocracy: They Worked Hard. .......................................................................... 85 That'sJust My Personal Experience ..................................................................... 94 The Rules ............................................................................................................ 102 Summary ............................................................................................................. 125 Chapter 4: Data Analysis II ....................................................................................... 127 Knowledge Validation ......................................................................................... 127 Public Versus Private Space ................................................................................ 143 A Shared Purpose ............................................................................................... 154 White Silence ...................................................................................................... 165 Getting Slammed ................................................................................................. 174 White Fragility: I'm Leaving ............................................................................... 185 We Each Stand Alone .......................................................................................... 196 Summary ............................................................................................................. 212 Chapter 5: Discussion ............................................................................................... 213 Master Discourses Used by White Preservice Teachers ....................................... 213 The Cardinal Rules ............................................................................................. 214 Individualism ...................................................................................................... 216 Universalism ......................................................................................................