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Uncovering the white place: whitewashing at work
[journal article]
Abstract
Recent work exploring the racialization of place tends to focus on the racialization of marginalized group space. This paper shifts attention toward the racialization of dominant group space, namely, the creation and maintenance of white places. Using the case study of the software workplace, I argu... view more
Recent work exploring the racialization of place tends to focus on the racialization of marginalized group space. This paper shifts attention toward the racialization of dominant group space, namely, the creation and maintenance of white places. Using the case study of the software workplace, I argue that white places are formed through a process of whitewashing, which simultaneously denies race and superimposes white culture. Whitewashing wields language and invisibility to deny race and promote a particular kind of multiculturalism, while cloaking the workplace in a culture of informality and business politics. The whitewashed workplace, like a whitewashed wall, is seen as colorless rather than white as white culture becomes universalized as high-tech culture. I draw my findings from in-depth interviews on workplace satisfaction, relationships, culture and diversity with black, Asian and white employees in Seattle-area software firms.... view less
Keywords
privilege; discrimination; equality; job; oppression; social inequality; minority; marginality; race; dominance; United States of America; racism
Classification
Social Problems
Method
qualitative empirical
Document language
English
Publication Year
2006
Page/Pages
p. 267-282
Journal
Social & Cultural Geography, 7 (2006) 2
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/14649360600600692
ISSN
1470-1197
Status
Preprint; peer reviewed
Licence
Creative Commons - Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works