One topic I have not encountered much academic literature on is the experiences of white students in majority black, 'inner-city' schools. I have met a handful of such people (their rarity is proof of how extensive racial segregation is in the US), and they were a mixed bag in their political orientation and class identity, though most came from lower class backgrounds or working-class roots. Some were Jewish secular leftists, or their descendants, who remained in neighborhoods that 'became' black in the Age of White Flight. Others were working-class whites who were "ethnic" at one point, and remained in the city limits and sent their children to inner-city schools. Others I have encountered are from poor families and rough circumstances, but seem to get by or have gotten through inner-city, often under-performing schools.
What I would love to see in some academic analysis is a discussion of how white students in these types of schools experience race, when do they develop a 'racialized' identity as white, and how their perceptions of black children (and blacks in general) are influenced by their deep and extensive firsthand interactions with predominantly people of color. In addition, I would have to gather some demographic and class data pertaining to how white students experience a gendered form of whiteness in "majority-minority" schools. Perhaps I'll start by questioning some white folks I know, though the ideal candidates would be people who are currently having that experience or recent graduates. Although I know some older whites who could be useful, too, though back in the 1970s the inner-city schools in the two large Midwestern cities I am accustomed to were very different.
Possibly former students (white) who went thru the tumultuous times of busing for racial "balance" might be an additional angle. Books on "White Flight" like White Flight: Atlanta and the Making of Modern Conservatism (Politics and Society in Twentieth-Century America... by Kevin M. Kruse (Jul 9, 2007) offers up several narrative experiences of white people going to school with the "coloreds." There are several of such books listed on Amazon. Might be worth a look.
ReplyDeleteThanks, but I'm more interested in the experiences of white students in the 1990s and 2000s, though some of what you suggest would be very useful. I'll have to check out Amazon tonight.
DeleteIt should be interesting. I wonder if it ties into the "wigger" phenomenon in any significant way, or the influence of hip hop culture. A lot of white kids are into hip hop- it is their generational soundtrack. As they went thru school did hip hop become the "bridge" by which they connected with their black classmates, above and beyond the usual links students make.. I would also wonder about interracial dating. As far as blacks at least, I see several of the younger set "stepping out." The numbers might not be huge but this might be another angle..
ReplyDeletePS: when you say white students experience a gendered form of whiteness, hos do you mean? Something like confronting (for better or worse) stereotypes as they interacted with other black students?
It probably does, I observed some of that in my schooling. I never came across too many 'wiggers' (though the few I see coming through at one of my jobs are quite hilarious to observe), but several white kids from the suburbs eat up hip-hop. They love it so much they listen to all the hip-hop they can find, probably far more than most black teenagers. But based on most of the suburban whites and whites who went to private schools that were also majority-white, very few had black friends regardless of their interest in hip-hop. As for interracial relationships, that was also exceedingly rare amongst whites I've met in high school and college.
DeleteAs for gendered form of whiteness, I'm interested in how some of the white students I've observed in majority-black schools assert a 'male' or 'female' or 'other' gender identity in black spaces. For instance, how is white male masculinity shaped by 'black masculinity' in these schools? How about the experience of white female students? Some are subjected (from what I've seen it happens rarely) anti-white jokes or taunting, but are mostly accepted. However, I am curious as to how white girls are treated by black students (fetishized or sexualized by males in middle/high school settings?) and how their views of femininity and masculinity are shaped by notions from their black classmates? And yes, I'm still very interested in how their own racial politics and views on white privilege.
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