Teaching the psychosocial subject: white students and racial privilege

This inquiry poses the question: How can white college students be induced or incited into recognizing themselves as racially marked and privileged people? The author examines white resistance to racial self-understanding by analyzing the relation between white racial identity development theory, appeals to racial discourses and themes, and the psychic need to defend against perceived threats to identity. By situating an analysis of these relations within the current crisis of whiteness, the author illustrates the psychosocial dynamics of white racial identity development. The aim of the study is to develop a conceptual approach that can inform the thought and practice of antiracist educators who seek to develop effective instructional strategies for teaching white students about racial privilege.