OPPRESSION AND PRIVILEGE - TOWARD A RELATIONAL CONCEPTUALIZATION OF RACE

Race is often one of the more controversial classroom topics addressed by sociologists. Unfortunately, current conceptualizations are limite d by their tendency to focus only on racial ''minorities'' and the opp ressive aspects of race. This approach overlooks how whites are affect ed by race and indeed receive privileges through race. Teaching from t his model thus gives students an inadequate view. In this paper I outl ine the components of an alternative (relational) model that focuses o n white privilege and on white supremacy, the ideology that upholds it , thereby providing a more realistic and more complete analysis. Then I discuss issues involved in teaching a relational model of race, incl uding preparing to teach from this model, faking it into the classroom , and dealing with white students' reactions to this way of thinking.