Including Critical Whiteness Studies in the Critical Human Resource Development Family: A Proposed Theoretical Framework

Abstract

While the human resource development (HRD) literature has made strides to incorporate critical race theory, critical Whiteness studies has not been substantively addressed. White experiences need to be incorporated into organizational learning literature in racialized ways. Unpacking the racialized experiences of Whites in organizational settings is important because it challenges the often-unstated assumption that White experiences are normal and neutral. The uncritical centering of Whiteness is part of what makes the marginalization of racialized others possible, and critical Whiteness studies research seeks to contribute to the decentering process. This article integrates literature exploring racialized White experiences from disciplines, including history, sociology, theology, and legal studies within an existing framework for HRD. This research will place special emphasis on aspects of critical Whiteness that relate to the workplace. The purpose of this article is to advance a theoretical framework that will enhance HRD’s capacity for research and action pertaining to workplace racism.

Teaching and learning social justice in human resource development graduate programs: Preparation for research and practice

“…Several actions were suggested that could be useful in forwarding the cause of social justice in HRD. These included questioning power relations and the taken‐for‐granted, involving multiple stakeholders, redressing historical inequity, working with marginalized peoples, embracing diverse ways of knowing, reducing barriers, enhancing reflexivity, and challenging commodification of employees (Bierema, ; Bohonos, ; Byrd, ; Collins, ; Stanley, ).…”

“…This in turn reduces the likelihood that the organization will enact policies that are harmful to historically marginalized peoples. In order to truly honor the voices of minoritized peoples, organizations must embrace diverse ways of knowing and recognize that the majority group's ways of knowing tend to favor members of that group (Bierema, ; Bohonos, ; Collins, ; Stanley, ). Implicit and unconscious bias seep into everyday, mundane acts that have large‐scale impact.…”

Disrupting Whiteness Within Academia: Examining the Experiences and Understanding of Whiteness Among White Students Attending Ryerson University

“…As a result, settler-colonialism gave birth to various policies and practices that have led to the oppression and marginalization of Indigenous peoples during post-contact (Marom, 2019, p.322). These policies and practices are evident throughout Canadian history and are created and maintained through immigration and migration laws to create a "white" North America (Baffoe et al, 2014;Bohonos, 2019;Nayak, 2007). However, Nayak (2007) and Ambrosio (2014) argue that the effects of whiteness has been, and still is, detrimental to white bodies.…”

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

“…Anderson (2015) argued that Black people often perceive themselves as unwelcome in overwhelmingly White spaces, and that access to vital resources — including employment (Bohonos & Duff, in press; Carbado & Gulati, 2013) — frequently requires POC to enter White spaces where humiliation and hostility are normative. Literature exploring White privilege (Bohonos, 2019a; DiAngelo, 2018; Macintosh, 1997) further emphasizes the ways that White people benefit from systemic and interpersonal manifestations of racism. Macintosh (1997) offered the following definition:

White privilege is like an invisible weightless knapsack of special provisions, assurances, tools, maps, guides, codebooks, passports, visas, clothes, compass, emergency gear, and blank checks.

…”