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The Power of Ignorance - Epistemic Construction of whiteness in Secondary Schools in Germany

Covic, Linus LU (2023) SIMZ51 20231
Graduate School
Abstract
Whiteness maintains an “invisible” and often unquestioned normative position
within the German society in general and the educational system in particular.
Previous research in Critical whiteness Studies has highlighted the importance of
directing attention toward whiteness as a system of knowledge and power to
effectively counteract its concealed nature and dismantle its normative position.
This thesis aims to follow up this project by investigating the less explored
educational context in Germany. To achieve this, I conducted 9 semi-structured
interviews with white staff members in secondary schools located in Nord-Rhein-
Westfalia. These interviews served as a textual base for a Critical Discourse
Analysis. The findings... (More)
Whiteness maintains an “invisible” and often unquestioned normative position
within the German society in general and the educational system in particular.
Previous research in Critical whiteness Studies has highlighted the importance of
directing attention toward whiteness as a system of knowledge and power to
effectively counteract its concealed nature and dismantle its normative position.
This thesis aims to follow up this project by investigating the less explored
educational context in Germany. To achieve this, I conducted 9 semi-structured
interviews with white staff members in secondary schools located in Nord-Rhein-
Westfalia. These interviews served as a textual base for a Critical Discourse
Analysis. The findings indicate the presence of four main discourses (“Denial and
color evasiveness”, “Us – Them”, “Negative depiction of others” and “White
saviorism”) working in close interconnection to create and reproduce a broader
epistemology of whiteness. Of notable importance is the role of white ignorance as
a tool to sustain the supremacist position of whiteness in supposedly non-racist
societies. This discursive formation is embedded in and facilitated by the structure
of the German educational system driven by the intention to uphold the existing
status quo. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
Covic, Linus LU
supervisor
organization
course
SIMZ51 20231
year
type
H2 - Master's Degree (Two Years)
subject
keywords
critical whiteness studies, white ignorance, education, critical discourse analysis
language
English
id
9135449
date added to LUP
2023-09-14 15:24:22
date last changed
2023-09-14 15:24:22
@misc{9135449,
  abstract     = {{Whiteness maintains an “invisible” and often unquestioned normative position 
within the German society in general and the educational system in particular. 
Previous research in Critical whiteness Studies has highlighted the importance of 
directing attention toward whiteness as a system of knowledge and power to 
effectively counteract its concealed nature and dismantle its normative position. 
This thesis aims to follow up this project by investigating the less explored 
educational context in Germany. To achieve this, I conducted 9 semi-structured 
interviews with white staff members in secondary schools located in Nord-Rhein-
Westfalia. These interviews served as a textual base for a Critical Discourse 
Analysis. The findings indicate the presence of four main discourses (“Denial and 
color evasiveness”, “Us – Them”, “Negative depiction of others” and “White 
saviorism”) working in close interconnection to create and reproduce a broader 
epistemology of whiteness. Of notable importance is the role of white ignorance as 
a tool to sustain the supremacist position of whiteness in supposedly non-racist 
societies. This discursive formation is embedded in and facilitated by the structure 
of the German educational system driven by the intention to uphold the existing 
status quo.}},
  author       = {{Covic, Linus}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  note         = {{Student Paper}},
  title        = {{The Power of Ignorance - Epistemic Construction of whiteness in Secondary Schools in Germany}},
  year         = {{2023}},
}