Experiences of racism and the changing nature of white privilege among lone white mothers of mixed-parentage children in the UK |
Ethnic and Racial Studies
Volume 33, Issue 2 (February 2010)
pages 176-194
DOI: 10.1080/01419870903023652
Vicki Harman, Lecturer in the Centre for Criminology and Sociology
Royal Holloway, University of London
In a context where mixed relationships are often seen as a visible indicator of increased tolerance, this paper holds up a lens to the particular experiences of racism negotiated by lone white mothers of mixed-parentage children. Based on qualitative interviews with thirty mothers, this paper illustrates how, through their parenting, racism and racial injustice became more visible to the mothers in the study. It is argued that, as well as experiencing racism directed at their children in a range of contexts (including the extended family, school and the local area), lone white mothers of mixed-parentage children are frequently facing social disapproval themselves. Drawing on the notion of whiteness as a seemingly unmarked and invisible category, this paper argues that mothers’ experiences can challenge and complicate dominant conceptualizations of white privilege.
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Tags: Ethnic and Racial Studies, Vicki Harman