A Narrative Analysis of the Group for Abolishing Whiteness
Tensions, Limitations, and Possibilities
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 19220935 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Samantha Guz (0000-0002-6256-3939, School of Social Work, corresponding author), William R Frey (0000-0002-6416-654X, Department of Physics, Mathematics and Informatics), Noelia Mann (University of New Mexico), Retisha Warr (School of Social Work and Human Services) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Publication date | 2026-05-07 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Affilia (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0886-1099 • E-ISSN: 1552-3020 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publishing (PUBLISHER • US) |
| DOI | 10.1177/08861099261436776 |
| OpenAlex | W7160493993 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 25 |
In October 2019, 26 white-identifying students met in the Group for Abolishing Whiteness (GfAW). The GfAW was a biweekly intragroup dialogic space where white-identifying students examined and uprooted their everyday relationship to whiteness. The GfAW diverged from other, more traditional dialogic spaces in that it focused on intragroup practice and was oriented toward white abolition, ending whiteness as a social construct and dominant force, rather than reconstruction of white identity. We used white abolitionist theory, feminist theories of gender performativity, and George Yancy's theory of White Self-Criticality to analyze narrative interviews with 7 GfAW participants. Using narrative thematic analysis as our interpretative method, we came to three themes: members experienced epistemic shifts, members gained skills to sustain the epistemic shifts, and members articulated important, unresolved tensions and limitations of the group. Our analysis has implications for social work education on whiteness as well as implications for white abolition in social work and beyond
Construct (python library) · Dialogic · Narrative · Narrative inquiry · Social analysis · Social constructionism · Thematic analysis · White (mutation) · Counseling, Therapy, and Family Dynamics · Critical Race Theory in Education · Social Work Education and Practice
Whiteness as Property
The imperative and promise of neo-abolitionism in social work
“It’s Checking Off a Required Diversity Course Box”
Black Reconstruction in America
Gender Trouble
Debunking the myth of the ‘radical profession’
The Air Is Being Sucked Out of the Room”
Digital White Racial Socialization
Social Work as a Product and Project of Whiteness, 1607–1900
She Must Be Experimental, Resourceful, and Have Sympathetic Understanding”
Uprooting Racism and Racists in The United States
The Racial Contract
The Racial Projects of White Social Work Students
SocialWorkSoWhite
Uprooting (Our) Whiteness
Toward a Historically Accountable Critical Whiteness Curriculum for Social Work
Not the Time For Kumbaya
Cultural Feminism versus Post-Structuralism
You end up doing the document rather than doing the doing
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |