Date of Graduation

1-2023

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (Ed.D.)

College/School

School of Education

Department

International and Multicultural Education

Program

Catholic Educational Leadership EdD

First Advisor

Emma Fuentes

Second Advisor

Melissa Canlas

Third Advisor

Kathryn Nasstrom

Abstract

White women continue to contribute to the reproduction and maintenance of White supremacy even when they attempt to pursue antiracism. To better understand their antiracist agency, this study analyzed White women’s experiences and comprehension of White womanhood. Using phenomenology and critical autoethnography, this qualitative study invited six self-proclaimed antiracist White women to participate in individual interviews, attend two focus groups, and reflect on five guided prompts on White womanhood and antiracist action. The study revealed antiracist White women’s feelings of responsibility and lack of perceived agency for antiracist action. Participants demonstrated attempts to disengage from whiteness while also expressing desires to increase their antiracist consciousness. Learning about and intentionally reflecting on the construction and characteristics of White womanhood increased participants' sense of antiracist agency. Findings indicate the need for White women to move beyond individual and into collective antiracist agency and action.

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