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Critical Voices in Teacher Education pp 111–123Cite as

Critical Engagement with Whiteness: Beyond Lecturing on the Evils of Racism

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Part of the book series: Explorations of Educational Purpose ((EXEP,volume 22))

Abstract

I would contend that it is only when we are willing to deconstruct the taken-for-grantedness of our own experiences that we begin to understand the ways in which our assumptions are instrumental in preserving the white, western, masculinized experience as the norm. Hence, this chapter tells the story of a group of Australian teacher education students as they explore the workings of prejudice and discrimination through a series of simulation exercises grounded in ‘what-if’ situations. Given that research has extensively documented the presence of diverse manifestations of racism in education and suggested that teachers are not well equipped to deal with its various expressions, future educators need to actively explore how their own racial identities have been shaped within a broader racist culture if, upon graduation, they are to engage their own students in anti-racism in meaningful and constructive ways.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    The term The Stolen Generations refers to the systematic and legal practice of removing children from their families and communities. This was designed to assimilate Aboriginal children into white society. It was a practice that continued into the 1960s.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Education, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia

    Nado Aveling

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  1. Nado Aveling
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Correspondence to Nado Aveling .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , School of Education, Murdoch University, Dixon Road, Rockingham, 6168, West Australia, Australia

    Barry Down

  2. , School of Education, University of Ballarat, University Drive, Mt Helen, 3350, Victoria, Australia

    John Smyth

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Aveling, N. (2012). Critical Engagement with Whiteness: Beyond Lecturing on the Evils of Racism. In: Down, B., Smyth, J. (eds) Critical Voices in Teacher Education. Explorations of Educational Purpose, vol 22. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-3974-1_8

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