Browsing by Subject "Whiteness"

This Master’s thesis is a pilot study that seeks to make a novel contribution to the existing academic literature on how whiteness operates in Denmark. This study is guided by two research questions: How do white Danish university students narrate growing up white in Denmark, and what meanings do they attach to being racially aware, and to being white? Through semi structured interviews with 5 white Danes age 23 to 28, this study reveals how the internalized whiteness and racial exceptionalism of these five white Danes is rooted in their socialisation and how it manifests itself in their lives, both personally, academically and politically. A thematic analysis of the data is carried out in order to uncover underlying meanings of how the interview participants narrate their whiteness. As in Denmark (and globally), whiteness marks itself as being the unmarked norm, the analysis will be theoretically underpinned by the critical whiteness approach. Five themes are identified, and the interview data is used to critically reflect on and explore the aspects and dynamics of Danish society that, both implicitly and explicitly, contributes to whiteness remaining normative and unmarked at the same time. This study ends by concluding that in order to truly uncover the nuances of how whiteness manifests itself in Danish society, more research is needed. It also concludes that the participants narrate their whiteness as something deeply rooted and ingrained in the socialisation they have gone through and the national narratives that Denmark brands itself on, such as the idea of (racial) exceptionalism, hygge and colonial innocence.

Racism continues to be both a widely discussed topic and continuing problem within many of our societies. Yet, most of the mainstream discourse on race lacks any reference to the actual concept of race itself. This has led to a situation in which racism is understood as systematic discrimination but race itself is generally treated as a neutral and unproblematized identity category instead of a political system of oppression. In this master’s thesis I will examine the ontological relationship between the concept of race and power. The main goal is twofold. Firstly, I will show that the relationship between race and power is an inherent one. Secondly, I will show that it is not only possible but necessary to take Whiteness as a vantage point as we examine this relationship. For while we are generally accustomed to approach the topic of racism and racial injustice through the experiences of people of color, Whiteness continues to remain in the margins of our political, social, and theoretical conversations. This, I claim, results from the normalization of Whiteness that has rendered White people unable to see how race functions and affects their daily lives. I will begin by briefly examining how the ideas of race and Whiteness were historically constructed and implemented as oppressive systems. This will help us establish that race was never discovered but constructed to serve a specific purpose. From here I move onto examine the relationship between race and power through the frameworks of class and state power. First, I look at Charles Mills’ argument for why racial power relations are distinct from and transcend those of class. After this I examine how Michel Foucault conceptualizes race as a necessary technology of power to the modern state. Then I move onto examine George Yancy’s method that not only forces Whites to see the workings of race but allows us to comprehend that there is no sense in making a distinction between “good” and “bad” White people. Finally, I present my own method of asking the ethically laden question: “Is there anything good about Whiteness?” I argue that any meaningful discussions on racism must theoretically examine the historical construction of race and the purposes that it has been used. For this reveals the ontological relationship between race and power as an inherent one. In addition, it is also crucial to comprehend that race is first and foremost a lived experience that affects the daily lives of countless people before any of our conceptual analysis. Thus, examining both the theoretical and the empirical level of race is a necessity for us to have any change to move beyond race. And I suggest that we start by asking “Is there anything good about Whiteness?” For an adequate answer to this question requires an understanding of what it is to be White. Which then necessitates a thorough theoretical understanding of the construction, history and workings of race.