Abstract
In this chapter, I seek to deconstruct the underlying structure of the notion of “diversity” as it is commonly used in the United States. Prejudice and ethnocentrism arise when Whiteness is the standard from which other ethnic and racial categories diverge and deviate. Mutually respectful interracial and intercultural communication and interaction depends on Whiteness taking its place as simply one among many racial and ethnic categories, all of which are socially constructed and none of which can be set up as the norm. Clinical implications are spelled out with an extended illustration.
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Notes
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An earlier version of this case appeared in The Analyst in the Inner City: Race, Class and Culture through a Psychoanalytic Lens, 2nd Ed., Routledge, 2009
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Altman, N., Altman, N. (2014). The Color of Whiteness and the Paradox of Diversity. In: Rosenberger, J. (eds) Relational Social Work Practice with Diverse Populations. Essential Clinical Social Work Series. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6681-9_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6681-9_4
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