REWRITING THE DISCOURSE OF RACIAL IDENTITY - TOWARDS A PEDAGOGY AND POLITICS OF WHITENESS

In this article, Henry Giroux places the study of Whiteness in a histo rical context, recognizing the various ?nodes in which racial identity has been used by conservative ideologues and critical scholars who se ek to expand the discussion of race and power The author also points o ut the limitations of the current scholarship on Whiteness. Although t his scholarship has successfully expanded the study of race to include the study of Whiteness as a historical, cultural, and political const ruction, it has not shown the liberating potential of deconstructing W hiteness in the public sphere. With an analysis of Dangerous Minds and Suture, two movies with contrasting narratives of race, the author pr ovides an example of the possibilities for critically discussing; in a classroom, the representation of race and ethnicity in the media. Thr ough such a discussion, students of different races and ethnicities ca n reflect on the representation of themselves and others and the posit ion of Whiteness as the dominant referent. There is a need for Whitene ss to be theorized and discussed in a manner that recognizes the poten tial for criticism, as well as the possibility for White students to r ecognize their own agency and legitimate place within the struggle for social change and an anti-racist society.