Date of Award
Spring 5-10-2014
Degree Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts (MA)
Department
Sociology
First Advisor
Anthony Hatch
Second Advisor
Griff Tester
Third Advisor
Rosalind Chou
Abstract
White supremacist racism is systemic to the structure of society in the United States. White people often minimize, rationalize, deflect, and deny contemporary acts of racism. However, there have been many whites who have actively opposed racism. As new conditions of racial segregation and inequality emerge in the United States, it is increasingly imperative that we consider which factors lead some whites to commit to antiracism. In this research, I examine how a selection of young white adults negotiate their racial and antiracist activist identities in the era of colorblindness. Utilizing feminist qualitative research methods, I explore my sample’s understanding of the factors most influential in raising their race consciousness. Employing in-depth interviewing techniques, I find that early life racial messages and the quality of interracial contacts one maintains throughout their lifetime have the greatest implications for influencing young whites’ involvement with antiracist activism.
DOI
https://doi.org/10.57709/5522708
Recommended Citation
Atwell, Amanda C., "When "Being Down" Isn't Enough: Examining White Antiracism and Racial Integration in the Era of Colorblindness." Thesis, Georgia State University, 2014.
doi: https://doi.org/10.57709/5522708