The concept of whiteness was created many centuries ago, and has changed continually throughout American history. It was created in order to create benefits for some people and not for others. It has, at its root, the maxim, "Divide and conquer." If people are pitted against each other, that takes attention away from the people with power.
The history of whiteness reveals how this concept of identity has created suffering for so many people. Studying it helps us to question some of beliefs and assumptions we have been taught and reveals what we can change. Explore these links to better understand how whiteness has been constructed, the consequences of whiteness, and how the labels we use perpetuate unhealthy identities for European Americans.
Questions to reflect upon:
- When did the concept of whiteness get formed and why?
- How have European Americans benefitted from this identity?
- What have European Americans lost by moving to an identity based in whiteness?
- What are the alternatives to whiteness? What can a healthy identity be connected to that does not privilege one group over another?
- What can European Americans do, in collaboration with people from other cultures, to change the systems based on whiteness?
Constructing Whiteness, by Judy Helfand
What is White Privilege, Really?, by Cory Collins