"You Could Argue It Either Way": Ambivalent White Teacher Racial Identity and Teaching about Racism in Literature Study

This study presents a portrait of a White high school English teacher in an effort to understand the relationship between her White racial identity and her teaching about racism within a unit on A Raisin in the Sun in a predominantly White teaching context. The author argues that the teacher’s ambiv...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:English education 2018-04, Vol.50 (3), p.228-254
Main Author: Borsheim-Black, Carlin
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
African American literature
African Americans
American literature
Cartoons
Classroom Communication
College Students
Educational Researchers
English language
English Teachers
Group Discussion
Hansberry, Lorraine (1930-1965)
Popular Culture
Preservice Teachers
Racial Differences
Racial Identification
Racial identity
Racial Relations
Racism
Students
Teacher Education Programs
Teacher Improvement
Teachers
Teaching
Teaching Methods
Urban Education
Urban Youth
White Teachers
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Summary:This study presents a portrait of a White high school English teacher in an effort to understand the relationship between her White racial identity and her teaching about racism within a unit on A Raisin in the Sun in a predominantly White teaching context. The author argues that the teacher’s ambivalent White racial identity contributed to lack of clarity and conviction in terms of purpose, which presented a pedagogical dilemma that ultimately undermined her practice. Acknowledging ambivalent identity and compensating for ambivalence in practice could provide pedagogical support for English teachers when they strive to teach about racism in secondary English classrooms.
ISSN:0007-8204
1943-2216
DOI:10.58680/ee201829578