Date of Award
2020
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
Department
Education
Abstract
Whiteness is pervasive and hidden on Christian college campuses. Helms (2017) defined Whiteness as the overt and subliminal socialization processes and practices, power structures, laws, privileges, and life experiences that favor the White racial group over all others†(p. 718). Whiteness can often be ignored or overlooked by White persons and predominantly White institutions. Normalizing Whiteness rather than working through Whiteness perpetuates the subliminal and overt practices found on many Christian college campuses. While the study of Whiteness in higher education is a growing field (Cabrera, 2014; Cabrera et al., 2016; Cabrera et al., 2017), limited research has linked Whiteness and Christianity. Even less research has explored the relationship between Whiteness, Christianity, and college students. This research examined the research gap regarding Whiteness and Christian college students. Specifically, this research sought to answer the following question: In what ways are White, Midwestern, Christian college students critically conscious of Whiteness? Fifteen participants were interviewed initially. As a follow-up, eight participants agreed to review and discuss the initial findings. Fifteen semi-structured interviews were completed. Eight participants agreed to review and discuss the initial findings in follow-up interviews. Responses were coded line-by-line, resulting in 1021 coded excerpts. Five themes emerged from the data including (a) awareness of Whiteness, (b) advantages and disadvantages of Whiteness, (c) responses to Whiteness, (d) Whiteness and faith, and (e) aspirational influence of faith on Whiteness.
Recommended Citation
Brown, Jesse M., "Exploring White Critical Consciousness Of Christian College Students At A Midwestern College" (2020). All-Inclusive List of Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 1943.
https://scholars.indianastate.edu/etds/1943