Getting Out of the Left Lane: The Possibility of White Antiracist Pedagogy

Abstract

This article maintains that knowledge of the literature on multicultural education and social justice pedagogy is indispensable for white college professors who desire to teach effectively about racial justice concerns. In exploring this literature, I have noticed that many publications either articulate theory or reflect on concrete classroom strategies, while relatively few deploy theory to evaluate specific attempts at teaching for justice. This seems to me a gap worth filling. Speaking as a white, conventionally trained, Catholic theologian, I begin by explaining why I deem it appropriate to employ antiracist pedagogy. I then demonstrate that the literature on multicultural education and social justice pedagogy is essential to this effort by utilizing both types of literature, theoretical and practical, to analyze my own strategies and goals to date. Throughout, I discuss white antiracist theological pedagogy not as an accomplished fact, but as an emerging endeavor.

ART Praxis: Evidence-Based Strategies for Antiracist Teaching in Nursing

“…For example, YouTube videos of historical events (Deepak & Biggs, 2011), commercials (Matias & Mackey, 2016), experiences of racism (Tisman & Clarendon, 2018), and racial comedy (Fulmer & Makepeace, 2015) were suggested as helpful in exposing learners to content about racism. Similarly, other forms of media, including podcasts such as This American Life (Episode 347, “Babies Buying Babies”; Teel, 2014), music videos (Deepak & Biggs, 2011), and social media (Matias & Mackey, 2016; Yao, 2018), provided opportunities for natural and productive conversations about racism, how racism is a learned behavior, and the living history of antiracist work. Films including “Race: The Power of an Illusion” (Pieterse, 2009), “The Color of Fear” (Ambrosio, 2014), and “Jungle Fever,” “Mississippi Masala,” “Watermelon Woman,” “Crash,” and “The Life and Times of Sara Baartman” (Gnanadass, 2014) were also used to generate discussions about racism and the language of race.…”

Can We Hear Him Now? James Cone’s Enduring Challenge to White Theologians

“…Those wishing to guide students in social location analysis, which can be transformative, can dive into the considerable interdisciplinary literature on social justice pedagogy and critical race theory. 75…”

Can virtue be learned? An exploration of student learning experiences in ethics courses and their implications for influencing moral character

“…A number of scholars point toward the plausibility of understanding a classroom to be a setting for cultivating a certain kind of ethical sensitivity. For example, bell hooks (), Fred Glennon (, 2011), Katherine Turpin (), Nel Noddings (), and Karen Teel () argue that academic contexts are appropriate and essential venues in which to foster and promote concerns for social justice and an opposition to injustice. A collection of essays edited by Elizabeth Kiss and Peter Euben (2010) more specifically considers the extent to which moral education can properly be viewed as part of a university curriculum, particularly in relation to courses designated as ethics courses.…”