Pamela Perry

Assistant Professor of Community Studies at UC-Santa Cruz

1998 PhD, Sociology at UC-Berkeley

1990 MA, Anthropology at UT-Austin

1985 BA, Spanish Literature at UC-Berkeley

Introduction

ThesisWhat does being “white” mean to middle class European

American students?

VariablePredominantly white vs. multiracial school

Martinot on the structure of whiteness

Methods

Winter 1994-Spring 1996 at two schools ~20 mi. apart

Participant observation and in-depth interview

Interpreted interviews through her observations

Source of Study AimsSource of Study Aims

Personal motivationPersonal motivation

Historical motivationHistorical motivation

Political motivationPolitical motivation

Why High School?Why High School?

““Normalcy” of Valley Normalcy” of Valley GrovesGroves

• 1600 Students1600 Students• Lush suburbiaLush suburbia• Declining white Declining white

populationpopulation• Increasing incomeIncreasing income• Staff Staff

“overwhelmingly “overwhelmingly white”white”

WhiteHispanicAsianFilipinoAfrican American

Diversity at ClaveyDiversity at Clavey

• Most diverse cityMost diverse city• Many languagesMany languages• Median income Median income

27K27K• Average income Average income

37K37K• 16% poverty16% poverty• Diversity stratifiedDiversity stratified• Open enrollmentOpen enrollment

African AmericanWhiteHispanicAsian

FilipinoNative AmericanPacific Islander

Results

--White youth at Clavey reflected more about their

whitenessThan white youth at Valley

Groves--

Contemporary Ties

Supports theories of flexible race identity

Contradicts theories of fixed race identity

Definitions of social identity and cultural identity

“Valley Groves High School sits on the floor of a verdant and woodsy valley, embraced on three sides by softly undulating hills…”

“…clean, wide, and expansive; game fields stretching out of sight; wide open vistas of the pastoral valley walls.”

Valley Groves High

School

Non-Hispanic Whites 83%

Hispanics 7%

Asians 5%

Filipinos 2%

African Americans 2%

Valley Groves High SchoolPrincipal: White male; Friendly,

personable, informal, fatherly figure.

Security: White, middle-aged, graying women; Oldest of supervisors referred to as “grandma”.

“Valley Groves students were ‘great kids,’…they (administrators) treated the

students with the kind of respect that ‘greatness’ deserves.”

QUAD

“Normal” Kids

D Hall

Cafeteria

Skaters Parking Lots

E Hall

Flilipinos, Asians, Latinos, African Americans, and Homies

Punks, Hippies,

Smokers, and Druggies

Hicks

Lunch Time & Breaks

Popular Kids – a special designation among “normal” kids.

Boys (a.k.a. “jocks”, “preppies”) – best athletes with the best looks

Girls (a.k.a. “muffies”) – best personalities and looks

“Hicks”

Dressed like cowboys (some were authentic)

Racist – usually responsible for interracial fighting

“Skaters”

All male

Wore torn, ragged, superlarge, sagging-crotch trousers

Always dirty

“Punks, hippies, and druggies”

Colorful hair or clothes

Consumption of drugs – cigarettes, pot, or heavier stuff

Punks listened to punk rock, Hippies listened to Grateful Dead,

Druggies spoke like they were swimming through a dense haze.

“Homies”

Affinity for rap music

Oversized, sagging pants (clean, not dirty)

Mostly students of color

School’s problem children

“Normal” Kids conformed to youthful rendition of the adult mainstream

Middle Class

Listened to “classic” and/or alternative rock

Wore “normal” clothing (GAP)

Order of Popularity/ Domination

The CurriculumHonors Courses: Most difficult, fulfilled most colleges’ admission requirements

Students are well behaved and disciplined

Very few students of colorGeneral Curriculum: Filled basic requirements to graduate, but not rigorous enough to satisfy college admissions

Some students well-behaved, some not

Good number of skaters, punks, and hippies who enjoyed challenging the teachers authority

Very few students of color

Vocational Courses: Course work was primarily hands-on; much different than the college-prep courses

Students took work seriously and frequently spent after-hours working on projects

Working class

Majority remained white, but the greatest amount of students of color could be found in these classes

Interaction Very few students of color were in the same classes as whites

Many students of color were farmed into remedial classes (freshman and sophomores)

Considerable attrition of students of color; many dropped out by their junior or senior year

Female African American Student: “[The white kids] hang out in the middle of the Quad – in the center of everything – but haven’t got a clue [about what’s going on with the student’s of color.]”

Carli, a hippie, “valued the fact that one of the band members was African American, because otherwise she had virtually no opportunities to interact with youth of color.”

“When asked about the amount of interaction they (white kids) felt they had with people of color, most looked as though a stupid question was asked. “None at all” or “very little”, they would say.”

Homecoming Parade“Mexican” horsemen heralded the parade with the California and United States flags, followed by a long trail of white youth in American vehicles….

…tells a story of white European domination and artfully knits together whiteness with “America.”

The Marching Band – an icon of white European militarism, patriotism, and ingenuity – confirmed values of discipline, competence, and mastery.

The Homecoming Royalty – confirms gender and sexuality norms.

The tail end of the parade was punctuated by a lone

white preadolescent girl on a palomino horse.

--A figure of the lone rider in Hollywood Westerns who heads off into the sunset, a symbol of (white)

independence and individualism with her gender and youth

signifying, respectively, liberalism and “we’ve only just begun.”

During the homecoming parade, the other cultures of the school and community were not represented. There were no Filipino dancers, Asian martial artists, or African American rappers. The event was performed by whites and for whites, and thus, little contradicted the cultural and political assumptions at play.

At Valley Groves, white European-American cultural norms and expectations “saturated” practical life. White students had very little association with racialized identities, making white European-American norms ubiquitous and unmarked.

The construction of those norms as “normal” and taken for granted was actively, if unconsciously, achieved through collective approval and reinforcement from white students and adults alike.

Mild manners of the school authorities

Constant reinforcement that students were “good kids”

Reinforcement from school parents and neighbors

Student activities and public displays

Culture of Power

Clavey High School

“At the foot of the hill leading up to Clavey High School is a colorful, student produced mural depicting eight youths with their hands cross-linked…each figure is painted with a different skin tone…to signify racial and ethnic differences. Inscribed along the mural’s border is “unity” written in eight different languages.”

“Directly behind the mural is a tall chain-linked fence…entry onto school grounds is permissible through a large gate that is dutifully guarded by a hefty security guard.”

Clavey High School

African Americans 54%

Asians 23%

Non-Hispanic Whites 12%

Hispanics 8%

Filipinos 2%

Pacific Islanders 1%

Native Americans 1%

Principal: Mr. Grey; a tall, big-boned, and hunched over white man; long, drawn face which seldom smiled; Rarely informally conversed with students; sober, authoritarian.

The Dean and Security: Mr. Richards; African American Males; Roamed campus with bullhorns and whistles, detention awaited all those who were late or out of line.

“We teach discipline here. That’s all…the students are disrespectful, difficult, and unmanageable.”

African-American Sub-Groups

Rappers

Leadership

Fashion Hounds

Gangsters

Asian American Sub-Groups

Newly Arrived

FOB (Fresh off the boat)

Native

Housers

Techno

Gangsters

White Sub-groups

Straights/Preppies

Skaters

Hippies/Stoners

Ravers

White Rappers

Punks

Racial-Ethnic Identities at Clavey

At Clavey, styles, tastes, demeanor, and association marked racial identity, including white identity.

In-group distinctions were less about class “origin” than class

“performance.” Students from the same neighborhood could be in different sub-groups

Differences not as rigid as Valley Groves

Out of group distinctions were more simple

Black vs. White vs. Spanish vs. Asian

Identity not limited to race

“Wannabe’s”

Black vs. White

The CurriculumAccelerated College Preparatory (ACP), Honors (H), Advanced Placement (AP): The most intellectually rigorous classes, designed to prepare students for high-ranking universities.

80% White and Asian

Students got into these classes by merit (i.e. “A”, teacher approval, exam)

Students referred to as “industrious”, “controlled”, and “able to defer gratification”

Preparatory (P), Future Teachers (FTA), and Performing Arts (PA): Core Curriculum

Students elected or were assigned to these classes by councilors

Overwhelmingly populated by African American; less than 20% of class would be of another ethnicity.

Students referred to as “rowdy”, “lazy”, and “out of control”.Remedial, Special Education, and English as a Second Language (ESL): The lowest end of the track levels; ESL was designed to bring students up to speed in language, history, and social science.

Quite marginalized; rarely intersected with youth from other tracks

No whites; all composed of students of color

No expectations for conventional academic expectations and behaviors

Underlying Forces Tracking system not about intellectual achievement; it’s about racial differences and identities

White kids placed in accelerated track without asking

Black kids placed in less rigorous tracks despite high marks

Reinforcement of: “Good” vs. “Bad”

“Smart” vs. “Bonehead”

“Controlled” vs. “Rowdy”

“Industrious” vs. “Lazy”

“White” vs. “Black”

The Melting Pot

When students had the opportunity to mix under conditions of equal status, “race” often became passive as youth found affinities and solidarities along other lines of identification.

Sports

Murray, white male senior football player, “When it comes to playing football, you have a jersey on and a helmet and you can’t see the color of someone’s skin. You’re just out there as a team of people playing. There could be females out there – I mean, as long as the job gets done, you’re playing football and you’re having fun with a lot of other people.”

Drama

“The experience of working jointly on a project that ‘you both love and hate’ and over which you ‘sweat, cry, laugh, get frustrated, and get happy together’ created a context that stripped students of global categorizations and made them see each other as unique individuals who shared an array of interests and experiences.”

Interaction under equal status

Porous Boundaries

Open discussio

n of racial issues

Personal Growth and

Understanding of different

perspectives

PART II- WHITE PART II- WHITE IDENTITY IN THE IDENTITY IN THE

SCHOOLSSCHOOLS•Students struggle to define a Students struggle to define a white culturewhite culture

•Tend to explicitly define Tend to explicitly define “white” culture as being “white” culture as being “normal”, “European-“normal”, “European-American ethnic”, and American ethnic”, and “postcultural”“postcultural”

•Similar to “Color of Fear”Similar to “Color of Fear”

DOES WHITE IDENTITY DOES WHITE IDENTITY IN THE SCHOOLS STEM IN THE SCHOOLS STEM

FROM “WHITE FROM “WHITE CULTURE”CULTURE”

•Students do not tend to Students do not tend to have a common culture- have a common culture- different clothes, music, different clothes, music, etc.etc.

•““Us-them” dialogues – Us-them” dialogues – similar to many readingssimilar to many readings

•The Multicultural SelfThe Multicultural Self

WHITE IDENTITY (con’t)WHITE IDENTITY (con’t)

•Border-dwellers- such as Border-dwellers- such as those who identified best those who identified best with minority groups with minority groups tended to be the most able tended to be the most able to define a white cultureto define a white culture

Part ThreePart ThreeChapters: 5 & 6Chapters: 5 & 6

““Identity & Group Identity & Group Position”Position”

• Examines the white students at Examines the white students at Valley Groves & Clavey HighValley Groves & Clavey High

• How they experienced & interpreted How they experienced & interpreted their social location as whitestheir social location as whites– Draw on representationsDraw on representations– Definitions of white identityDefinitions of white identity– Within white communities & withoutWithin white communities & without

Perry’s FocusPerry’s Focus• Media eventMedia event

– Million Man March (1995)Million Man March (1995)– Washington D.C.Washington D.C.– Highly publicized & controversialHighly publicized & controversial

• Social & political implications of being Social & political implications of being whitewhite

• ArgumentArgument– White youth at the two schools: defining a sense of White youth at the two schools: defining a sense of

group position was about making sense of their group position was about making sense of their group position out of the different.group position out of the different.

– Contradiction, experiences, claims, discourses, Contradiction, experiences, claims, discourses, and stigmas voiced both among whites & between and stigmas voiced both among whites & between whites and people of color.whites and people of color.

Perry’s ConclusionsPerry’s Conclusions• ““The white youth in this study understood the The white youth in this study understood the

meanings of race and racial inequalities meanings of race and racial inequalities through a lived experience that fostered both through a lived experience that fostered both racist and non- or antiracist sentiments and racist and non- or antiracist sentiments and politics.”politics.”

• ““What must matter in the end is not whether What must matter in the end is not whether or not white Americans hold negative views of or not white Americans hold negative views of blacks and other disadvantaged people – it blacks and other disadvantaged people – it must be that the majority of white people born must be that the majority of white people born in the United States are inculcated with such in the United States are inculcated with such views- but how they succeed in putting aside views- but how they succeed in putting aside those views to uphold and practice more those views to uphold and practice more egalitarian beliefs, feelings and political egalitarian beliefs, feelings and political behaviors.”behaviors.”

Perry’s Arrival (Path)Perry’s Arrival (Path)

• Observations: Clavey & Valley GrovesObservations: Clavey & Valley Groves• Discussion: Million Man MarchDiscussion: Million Man March

– Reputation of Louis FarrakhanReputation of Louis Farrakhan– Labels: sexist, anti-white, anti- SemiteLabels: sexist, anti-white, anti- Semite

• Seeking AnswersSeeking Answers– March: which put “race” in the spotlightMarch: which put “race” in the spotlight– Effect on how white students at the two Effect on how white students at the two

schools think about significance of race & schools think about significance of race & whitenesswhiteness

– Differences among schools?Differences among schools?

The SchoolsThe Schools

• Clavey HighClavey High• Mixed racesMixed races• Mr. Edwards Mr. Edwards

(sophomore history)(sophomore history)– White male (40’s)White male (40’s)

• Mr. Hansen’s Mr. Hansen’s (senior (senior government)government)– White male White male

• Valley GrovesValley Groves• Mostly whiteMostly white• Mrs. Washington Mrs. Washington

(Juniors: honors (Juniors: honors government)government)– White (30’s)White (30’s)– Clavey CityClavey City

• Mr. Riley’s (Jr. & Mr. Riley’s (Jr. & Sr. AP government)Sr. AP government)– White & liberal White & liberal

(40’s)(40’s)

Valley Groves: “Isn’t that Valley Groves: “Isn’t that Racist?”Racist?”

• Mrs. Washington’s classMrs. Washington’s class• Knowledge of civil rights & M.L.K. Jr.Knowledge of civil rights & M.L.K. Jr.• White girl: “Racist? Singling out blacks”White girl: “Racist? Singling out blacks”• Latino boy: “Whites overreact when Latino boy: “Whites overreact when

minorities get together”minorities get together”• Validity of Louis FarrakhanValidity of Louis Farrakhan

– AttendanceAttendance– Organizers pumped up the numbersOrganizers pumped up the numbers

• Results: Cause riots or be a positive Results: Cause riots or be a positive causecause

Mr. Riley (Valley Groves)Mr. Riley (Valley Groves)

• All but three students were whiteAll but three students were white• ““Wasn’t the Speech racist?”Wasn’t the Speech racist?”• Farrakhan is a messenger!Farrakhan is a messenger!• Refocus the class: Messages of the Refocus the class: Messages of the

march?march?– Black family, black on black crime, Black family, black on black crime,

drugs and violence in black communitydrugs and violence in black community• Comparisons: Nation of IslamComparisons: Nation of Islam

– Non- violence; seek separationNon- violence; seek separation• Racist?Racist?

Clavey High (Mr. Clavey High (Mr. Edwards)Edwards)

• 14 African Americans, 7 white, Filipino & 14 African Americans, 7 white, Filipino & AsianAsian

• African American girls stayed home to watchAfrican American girls stayed home to watch– ““Farrakhan is not a racist, be nice to him”Farrakhan is not a racist, be nice to him”– ““People afraid we risin up!”People afraid we risin up!”

• ““He brings too much negative publicity”He brings too much negative publicity”• Verbal Brawl: “White girls be trippin!Verbal Brawl: “White girls be trippin!• White boy: “ Not right to blame a white race White boy: “ Not right to blame a white race

for the prejudices of a few”for the prejudices of a few”

Clavey High (Mr. Clavey High (Mr. Hansen)Hansen)

• 10 white, 8 Asian, 7 African American10 white, 8 Asian, 7 African American• Question: “Purpose of the march?”Question: “Purpose of the march?”• African Americans: communities & families to African Americans: communities & families to

better their livesbetter their lives– Support the march, not Farrakhan (separatism)Support the march, not Farrakhan (separatism)

• White: Powerful leaders in control can do terrible White: Powerful leaders in control can do terrible things (slavery & holocaust)things (slavery & holocaust)– Farrakhan: violence against JewsFarrakhan: violence against Jews

• African Americans: “Trying to rise up the people”African Americans: “Trying to rise up the people”• ““Puts others down” focus: Black MuslimsPuts others down” focus: Black Muslims• ““Unifying the black community, and there is no Unifying the black community, and there is no

threat to that” threat to that”

SummarySummary

• Valley GrovesValley Groves• Not informedNot informed• Not interestedNot interested• March took place?March took place?• Teachers led the Teachers led the

discussiondiscussion

• Clavey HighClavey High• Very awareVery aware• Black studentsBlack students• As well as white & As well as white &

other non blacksother non blacks• Discussion went on Discussion went on

without teacher without teacher interventionintervention

The Social The Social Implications of Implications of White IdentityWhite Identity

Chapter 6Chapter 6

Focus: White IdentityFocus: White Identity

• ““What does it mean to you to be What does it mean to you to be white?”white?”

• ““Are there advantages and/ or Are there advantages and/ or disadvantages to being white?”disadvantages to being white?”

• PurposePurpose– Touch on experiences of being labeled Touch on experiences of being labeled

“white”“white”– Sense of white identity as a social Sense of white identity as a social

identityidentity

ArgumentArgument• ““At predominantly white Valley At predominantly white Valley

Groves, white students’ sense of group Groves, white students’ sense of group position was strongly influenced by position was strongly influenced by neo conservative articulations of the neo conservative articulations of the social positions of whites. Namely, social positions of whites. Namely, white students felt is was they, not white students felt is was they, not people of color, who were the people of color, who were the disadvantaged: they were stigmatized disadvantaged: they were stigmatized as “racists” and discriminated against as “racists” and discriminated against when seeking spots in college, when seeking spots in college, scholarships, and jobs”scholarships, and jobs”

ArgumentArgument• ““At multicultural Clavey, white students’ At multicultural Clavey, white students’

social identities were more messy, social identities were more messy, situational, and contradictory. They felt situational, and contradictory. They felt they carried the unfair mantle of the they carried the unfair mantle of the “oppressor”, while acknowledging that “oppressor”, while acknowledging that they were also unfairly privileged as they were also unfairly privileged as whites. Their ways of dealing with this whites. Their ways of dealing with this dual awareness ranged from beliefs in dual awareness ranged from beliefs in radical political change to racist radical political change to racist articulations of the inferiority of African articulations of the inferiority of African American and other underprivileged American and other underprivileged groups.”groups.”

Valley Groves: “Racist” Valley Groves: “Racist” StigmasStigmas

• Students projected race onto othersStudents projected race onto others• ““Hicks” & Confederate flag t-shirtsHicks” & Confederate flag t-shirts• Affirmative action: helps minoritiesAffirmative action: helps minorities• SAT classes: rich privilegeSAT classes: rich privilege• ““Being white gives us no advantages”Being white gives us no advantages”• ““Maybe once, but no more”Maybe once, but no more”• Summary: White identity is a social Summary: White identity is a social

identityidentity– Felt uncomfortable around people of colorFelt uncomfortable around people of color– Why? African Americans viewed them as Why? African Americans viewed them as

“racist”“racist”

Clavey: “Oppressor”, Clavey: “Oppressor”, Privilege, and Racist Privilege, and Racist

FeelingsFeelings• Revealed a multiply layered spectrum of Revealed a multiply layered spectrum of

diverse shades of whitediverse shades of white• Get past judging & stereotyping people Get past judging & stereotyping people

by color of their skinby color of their skin• Students of color could confront (In your Students of color could confront (In your

face) whites accusing them of complicity face) whites accusing them of complicity in the reproduction of racial inequalities in the reproduction of racial inequalities in the U.S.in the U.S.

• White students had no escape: recognize White students had no escape: recognize the oppressionthe oppression

Conclusion to Conclusion to Shades of WhiteShades of White

5 Criteria for Race 5 Criteria for Race Identity FormationIdentity Formation

• ProximityProximity• Us vs. ThemUs vs. Them• Interlinking and blending identitiesInterlinking and blending identities• The multiracial selfThe multiracial self• The culturalThe cultural

How is this Useful?How is this Useful?