Acting White [Book Review]

Is there such a thing as Acting White??

If so why would anyone want to do that??

I found a book that answers these questions.?

In truth, the book found me.

Acting White?

Rethinking Race In Post Racial America?

By Devon W Cardbado and Mitu Gulati?

Why is this book important??

The book was written during the Obama administration.?

At the time people were suggesting America was a post racial society.?

This book explains why that’s not true.?

Who is this book for?

This book is great for anyone who wants to move beyond the rhetoric of the phrase “lived experience”.

There’s so much nuance that won’t be captured here or on the podcast.?

The book focused heavily on the experiences of Black people in the workplace.?

So did my PhD.

This is why I found it so useful.?

Key message of the book?

Acting White is a strategy employed to mitigate disadvantage experienced in the workplace.

For this to make sense it’s useful to understand the logic of the book.?

- Negative stereotypes exist about Black people?

- Negative outcomes are persistent in the workplace for Black people?

- Evidently being Black is a disadvantage in the workplace

The way the authors described it.?

Acting White is about diminishing the extent to which a person is “perceived” to be Black.

The book was full of examples including Racial Comforting.?

This is when people work their identities to make Insiders feel comfortable with their Outsider status.?

We all have to manage our identity at work.

The authors argue that “people of color” do significant amounts of identity work in order to counter negative stereotypes about the racial groups they belong to.?

This is unpaid shadow work.?

Key Takeaways

4 Stages Of Racial Negotiation?

The authors use a Dave Chappelle clip as a reference point to explore this.

It’s called “When keeping it real goes wrong”

Stage 1: The Employee has a sense of themselves

Most people think this means they know who they are.?

Think about what this means in the face of negative stereotypes.?

In the book example.?

Vernon Franklin, a Black man; does not acquiesce to negative stereotypes of African Americans.?

Stage 2: The Employee forms an impression of institutional values

Think about what is acceptable behaviour:?

- By people in general?

- By people of color

- Towards people of color

It’s likely that these are never overtly discussed.

In the book example.?

People are expected to be “collegial” ,“thick skinned” and not “overly sensitive about race”.?

Stage 3: Conflict Recognition?

The employee realises that there is a conflict concerning Stage 1 and Stage 2.

Their sense of self may conflict with acceptable behaviour within the organisation.?

This may signal a decision to support purported institutional values or reject them.?

In the book example.?

Vernon is asked to give a high five in a meeting with senior executives.?

Doing so may demonstrate that he is “collegial” ,“thick skinned” and not “overly sensitive about race”.?

However Vernon does not acquiesce to negative stereotypes of African Americans.?

Vernon has a decision to make.?

Stage 4: Conflict Resolution?

The individual has to decide how to resolve the conflict.?

The authors say this is the negotiation.?

I won’t give away the punchline.

But it doesn’t end well for Vernon.?

Other Considerations?

This book represents an advanced dialogue on Race.?

This is why it doesn’t explain:?

- What Race is?

- What Black is?

- What White is?

It’s not an introduction to Racism?

It’s focused on meaning and understanding.?

But it doesn’t offer a lot of solutions.?

We talk about this in a lot more detail in the show.?

We cover issues like the Racial Double Bind and 2 Models of Discrimination that you’re probably not aware of.?

Check out the full show here?

Let me know what you think.?

As always?

I’m cheering you on?

Dr. Jonathan?

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