Types of White Identification and Attitudes About Black Lives Matter

Geneva Cole

Social Science Quarterly, 2020, vol. 101, issue 4, 1627-1633

Abstract: Objective Until recently, whiteness was not considered a politically significant social identity. This study builds on recent work and explores empirically the different ways in which white people understand their whiteness with the objective of recognizing how variations in white identification shape attitudes about the Black Lives Matter movement. Methods I use qualitative analysis of in‐depth semistructured interviews to develop a theoretical framework for understanding how white Americans understand and identify with their whiteness and apply this typology to expressed attitudes about Black Lives Matter. Results I find three distinct patterns of white identification that characterize how white people understand their own race and privilege. These patterns subsequently affect how white Americans understand the experiences of minorities, specifically analyzed through opinions about Black Lives Matter. Conclusion Variations in the way that white Americans understand their whiteness have tangible effects on the way they approach racial politics, with this article focused specifically on white attitudes about the Black Lives Matter movement. As the movement engages a broad multiracial coalition it is very possible that those who were previously unaware of their whiteness will come to see it as important, with potentially wide‐ranging impacts on the future of racial politics in the United States.

Date: 2020
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