Critical race theory and working‐class White men: Exploring race privilege and lower‐class work‐life

Abstract

Research portraying the lives of working‐class (White) men has generally paid much more attention to class and gender than to race. By failing to problematize Whiteness, this literature obscures the racial privileges that working‐class Whites can access even as they are marginalized along the lines of class. This study applies critical race theory to analyse the dynamic intersection between the racial and gender privilege available to working‐class White men from their position of social and economic marginality. It empirically builds on the ethnographic study of a small North American company in the construction industry. This study makes three main contributions. First, it argues that even as the position of working‐class White men in the current class order limits their life chances, they nevertheless access small but significant benefits based on race. Second, it contributes to current conversations on White privilege by showing how such privilege manifests itself differently depending on social class position. Third, it underscores the importance of intersectional analysis in understanding how different social identities interact to reproduce racism and capitalism.

Advocating for social justice, equity, and inclusion in the workplace: An agenda for anti‐racist learning organizations

“…White allies who aim to uplift racial minorities are more likely to demonstrate their support through organized efforts (Katz, 2003), and they are encouraged to acknowledge the plight of racial minorities and recognize the need for social justice through their actions-beyond affirmations of support (Reason et al, 2005;Sisco, 2020). Joining race-consciousness discussions, attending community events about race-related issues, and financially contributing to racial minority non-profit organizations have been loosely attributed to white anti-racist allyship as have participation in social movements and efforts to confront or disrupt racist language and systems (Bohonos, 2020;Bonilla-Silva, 2017;Hill, 2008). Mentorship is also an example of how white individuals can offer their support to Black people.…”

Enslavement and the Foundations of Human Resource Development: Covert Learning, Consciousness Raising, and Resisting antiBlack Organizational Goals

“…Over the last 15 years, the HRD community has developed a critical mass of scholarship on Black experiences in the workplace and antiBlack racism (Bass, 2009; Bohonos, 2021a; 2021b; Byrd, 2009; Henry, 2021; Hughes, 2014; Jean-Marie et al, 2009; Sparkman, 2017; Rosser-Mims et al, 2020; Rudel et al, 2021; Sisco, 2020, Sisco et al, 2021; Wicker, 2021). But none of these studies focus on the history of enslavement or its implications for contemporary practice despite calls from HRD thought leaders (Byrd, 2018; Hughes, 2014) for further historical contextualization of diversity and social justice in HRD.…”

“…Douglass explained that white shipbuilders felt threatened by Black people-both enslaved and free-who were progressing in their trade. White men's protectiveness of their privileged positions over Black men within occupational hierarchies (Bohonos, 2021a;Du Bois, 1935) spurred labor unrest, including violence against Douglass, in the shipyards. For Douglass, this unrest manifested death threats and physical attacks, cumulating in his nearly lethal beating at the hands of a white mob.…”

An editorial in three parts

“…I would like to lie and say that adult education and human resource development (HRD) might respond to Russia's war of aggression with research that will help strengthen the Ukrainian resistance, but I do not think that is actually going to happen. And I would like to lie and say I believe that the outpouring of writing regarding racial justice since Floyd's murder (Alexander, 2022; Bell et al., 2021; Bohonos, 2021a, 2021b; Bohonos & James‐Gallaway, 2022; Bohonos & Sisco, 2021; Davis et al., 2020; Henry, 2021; James‐Gallaway & Turner, 2021; Lewellen & Bohonos, 2021; McCluney et al., 2021; Muzanenhamo & Chowdhury, 2021; Rosser‐Mims et al., 2020; Rudel et al., 2021; Sisco, 2020; Sisco et al., 2021; Wicker, 2021) is moving us quickly toward a more racially just society, but I cannot pretend to be that naïve.…”