White generosity
Black Freedom Faced With Good Intentions
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6058222 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Natalie Wall (0000-0002-0162-2739, Queen Mary University of London, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 40 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 134-151 |
| Publication date | 2020-09-22 |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Equal Opportunities International (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1758-7093 • E-ISSN: 2040-7149 |
| Publisher | Emerald (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1108/edi-02-2020-0029 |
| OpenAlex | W3087943990 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 8 |
Purpose The author advances a theory of white generosity, a product of whiteness and of hierarchised relationships between races characterised by the giving to the racialised person that which has not been asked for and which has no practical immediate purpose, which can be used by anti-racist scholars as a framework for analysing racial oppression. Design/methodology/approach Using postcolonial and cultural studies and deconstructionist techniques in tandem with autoethnography, the author uses textual readings to examine instances of “giving” shaped by white generosity, drawing on Jacques Derrida's work on the gift in order to deconstruct the structure and rhetorical moves of white generosity. Findings White generosity demands gratitude in excess of the value of the thing given. Emancipation is no gift at all; simply a deferral of debt. The “gifts” of diversity, decolonisation, widening participation or access are all objects of brokerage in a system that is inherently unequal and violent for black folx. Originality/value White generosity is related to theoretical constructs, such as white fragility, that have commanded significant scholarly engagement. However, it has not previously been named or analysed in a systematic way. This article offers a theoretical framework for use by anti-racist activists and scholars to name, interrogate and deconstruct a powerful narrative used in the continued marginalisation of non-white folx
Epistemology · Generosity · Gratitude · Oppression · Originality · Political science · Politics · Social science · Sociology · Critical and Liberation Pedagogy · Critical Race Theory in Education · Gender Studies · Law · Philosophy · Psychology · Race, History, and American Society · Social Psychology
| Citations per year | 0.6 |
|---|---|
| Citation span | 2021 - 2025 (5) |
| Highly cited | No |