Inventing Whiteness

Inventing WhitenessWhat does it mean to live in a racially constructed America? How has race been invented, constructed, and reinvented in our society since colonialism arrived on American soil? When we consider race, we often think about it in the context of People of Color. But what about whiteness? How did white people become white? And why and how does it matter? In this podcast, we discuss racial hierarchies and examine how and why whiteness was constructed and who benefits. We take a look at Latin America and the history of racial categorization and how whiteness was for sale. Within the United States, we explore the history of how certain groups became white while others did not and discuss the social and legal context in which this happened. We also examine the contemporary ramifications of whiteness, how it intersects with ableism, and how it shows up in computer algorithms and artificial intelligence. Episode 1Hosts: Robert Hawkins, Professor, North Carolina State UniversityKrisanna Scheiter, Associate Professor, Union CollegeCarmen Soliz, Associate Professor, University of North Carolina-Charlotte Sean Zdenek, Associate Professor, University of Delaware