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Repacking the White Privilege Knapsack

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Teaching Race and Anti-Racism in Contemporary America

Abstract

Contemporary college students, particularly white students, often meet classroom discussions of white privilege with great resistance. My presentation will provide an overview of an activity which asks students to update Peggy McIntosh’s 1988 article “Unpacking the Knapsack” first by editing her list and subsequently adding additional examples of privileges. Through proper instruction, this activity empowers students to critically examine their community and to develop a sophisticated understanding of the operation of white privilege within society. Students begin with a cursory analysis tweaking McIntosh’s original list but, with guidance, are able to develop novel and important items based on their own experiences with white privilege. Teachers are cautioned to be cognizant to meet the needs of and challenge all class participants.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    I use an extensive PowerPoint presentation with Internet links to contemporary examples and detailed graphs highlighting broader statistics on each privilege. I am happy to share it upon request.

  2. 2.

    All names are pseudonyms.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Idaho, Moscow, ID, USA

    Kristin Haltinner

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  1. Kristin Haltinner
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Correspondence to Kristin Haltinner .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Sociology, University of Idaho, Moscow, Idaho, USA

    Kristin Haltinner

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Haltinner, K. (2014). Repacking the White Privilege Knapsack. In: Haltinner, K. (eds) Teaching Race and Anti-Racism in Contemporary America. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-7101-7_18

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