ACLA 2025 : Whiteness: Imploding the Impermeable and Invisible Monolith

This seminar invites papers critically exploring whiteness as an invented political and social identity category. We seek to investigate its emergence from the transatlantic slave trade, its persistence as an entrenched social norm, and its relative stasis compared to evolving terminology for other racial identities.

Central to our inquiry: Why do people who believe themselves to be white still invest in this category? What strategies might facilitate evolution beyond whiteness? As other racial designations have transformed—Black/Negro/Colored to African-American, Hispanic to Latin/x, Indian to Native/Indigenous, Oriental to Asian—we pose the crucial question: What does Post-Whiteness look like?


We encourage submissions to examine the following:

+ Historical and ideological foundations of whiteness, including contributions of figures like François Bernier and Johann Friedrich Blumenbach to "Caucasian" classification.
+ Whiteness as a reactionary force, particularly in opposition to Blackness and other identities.
+ Contradictions between whiteness and moral frameworks, such as Christianity.
+ Possibilities for transcending, rejecting, or abandoning whiteness, and the stakes involved.


We welcome papers engaging with key concepts in critical whiteness studies, including:

+ Robin DiAngelo's "white fragility" and white racial socialization
+ Eduardo Bonilla-Silva's color-blind racism and social construction of whiteness
+ David Roediger's historical perspective on whiteness in the US
+ Ruth Frankenberg's intersectional approaches to whiteness and gender
+ George Lipsitz's "possessive investment in whiteness"
+ Peggy McIntosh's exploration of white privilege
+ Charles Mills' examination of whiteness through social contract theory

Research probing the complexities of whiteness from sociological, historical, philosophical, and cultural perspectives is encouraged. We particularly welcome explorations of potential pathways beyond whiteness and the societal implications of such evolution.


Goals:
+ Explore historical and political origins of whiteness and its enduring influence
+ Question whiteness's evolution (or lack thereof) compared to other racial identities
+ Examine potential for transcending whiteness and its implications
+ Investigate intersections between whiteness and moral/ethical frameworks
+ Analyze whiteness as a social construct in identity, privilege, and systemic racism
+ Envision possibilities for Post-Whiteness and strategies to facilitate this transition

Structure:
Three sessions, up to 12 panelists, 20-minute papers with discussion.


Submission:
Faculty and graduate students welcome. Submit a 250-word abstract and brief bio by the deadline.