Decentering Whiteness Manifesto

Decentering Whiteness Manifesto

We are a group of researchers and staff at various institutions who gathered during a ‘Decentering Whiteness’ online workshop on 8th February 2024. We have co-written this Manifesto based upon reflections shared during the workshop, which was facilitated by Professor Divine Charura (YSJ, School of Education, Language and Psychology) and Dr Karisha George (UoY, Department of Psychology).

During the workshop, Divine drew upon personal stories to show how when it came to race, in many spaces, he had to navigate significant challenges because they were compromised by racism. Hence, if we are to decenter whiteness, we must tackle racism head-on, he argued, through questioning ontologies and epistemologies and what is considered the ‘norm’. Divine highlighted that there must be a paradigm shift because ‘science’ is not only about theory and data but also whose stories and perspectives are underlying those and given preeminence in history. 

Consequently, all information or ‘knowledge’ must be reinterpreted, new questions asked so that we fundamentally transform our assumptions. We need to redefine whiteness, use different language and recalibrate our questioning and reinterpretation of data to completely rethink our knowledge and concepts. This is particularly evident in academic spaces where the concept of ‘knowledge’ is defined by Eurocentric bodies and whiteness, seeing these as superior to other forms of ontology and epistemology. Ultimately, whiteness is a system that produces and reproduces hierarchies and so all of us must engage in this work; that is the only way we are going to challenge subjective bias for how certain groups are privileged over others.

Karisha built upon her personal experiences too, outlining how she witnessed how real white privilege is and how academia is developed from white-centrism. Karisha gained a deep understanding of what life is like when you are not white when she was hired at the same time as a white colleague and saw her get access to opportunities and promotions much more easily. As whiteness is seen as the ‘norm’, if you experience it differently - not as the norm - you are made to aggressively cloak your true self. As Karisha called it, you have to ‘step into white skin’ otherwise you risk your career and opportunities. Although not initially noticing she was cloaking, Karisha saw during BLM 2020 what white privilege could mean and was not going to allow someone to tell her she is less without unapologetically challenging these views - because allowing such behaviour to go unchallenged contributed to what George Floyd experienced. 

Karisha now speaks with freedom and said that life is different when you refuse to act white and stick up for those who are not white. “Risk away” because the alternative is to not really live. Navigating academia and whiteness is different for everybody, but always trying to explain yourself is dehumanising. Karisha realised she was engaging in conversations about her life, but simply being dismissed. She began questioning her own life experiences and experiences of racism. So, now, she no longer explains herself, especially to those who are not coming from a place where they are capable of understanding. She guards herself above all else which, for example, looks like choosing to exit any space, conversation or relationship where her authenticity is not celebrated. She gives silence to those who are determined to misunderstand her, and by being strong and focused on herself, Karisha has also created spaces for others to be who they are too; ‘sharing freedom’.

Both speakers highlighted that the harms of white-centrism do not need to include direct abuse but it is enough for someone to question you, your identity, and treat you as abnormal for you to feel less. Being treated as an ‘Other’ can be exhausting, and continuous conversations about this can be draining too. Consequently, spaces and networks where people can find joy and release from cloaking have been crucial and, for Karisha, her support focused on creating safe spaces for students, guiding students in engaging in research which highlights the true impact of racism on student wellbeing. Through this work, she sees herself as developing their capacity to love themselves. They will then be empowered to go forward to encourage others to de-shed their white cloak, and in this way she hopes that she has decentered whiteness.

The discussion that followed the speakers’ reflections were centred around three key questions although the conversations organically went in several other directions!

• How do we encounter whiteness in our academic institutions (research, teaching practice, learning)?

• How might such encounters shape the experiences of racially minoritised scholars? 

• What strategies can we employ to decenter whiteness in our institutions and beyond? 

The Manifesto as outlined below can be read as a summary of our discussions and reflections in relation to the questions above and more generally to the question of ‘How can we decenter whiteness?’. The aim of this Manifesto is to share ideas around best practice for decentering whiteness and navigating white-centric spaces in disruptive ways that cause the least harm to ourselves and others. 

We believe:

1. All researchers are responsible for decentering whiteness and being responsible for their knowledges, ontology, epistemology, power and positionality

   • And we should use our power with, rather than power over, which is unfortunately common in academia. 

2. Researchers should be reflexive and decenter whiteness at all stages of the research, not just data collection

   • We should question which theory and authors we use when we come to our findings and analyses - what and who can best represent the voices we are trying to centre in our research?

   • We should think about the methodologies we use for the overall research design and whether they are steeped in whiteness and Eurocentrism

3. Researchers should ask themselves whether their research furthers whiteness and where it does, counter that

   • This could be done, for example, by taking on feedback and criticism - especially from communities directly affected by the research topic, and

   • centering authenticity, whilst 

   • avoiding perpetuating violence

4. Support networks are vital to decentering whiteness

   • Because the foundations and structures of academia (and society more widely) are not set up for decentering whiteness, in terms of methodology, knowledges and approaches

   • Eurocentrism is in every facet of society, it takes a diverse group of people in society to challenge the reach and depth of whiteness

5. We must persevere despite resistance to, and the labour involved in, decentering whiteness

   • We can map a way through and ways to survive, or ‘suffer where we are’

   • We have to have hope we can get through

   • We must have allyship

   • We must care for ourselves so we can continue to be restored, replenished and carry on the journey - this is resistance itself

   • We can lean into messiness

6. This work is not a short-term goal but has been already building for hundreds of years and must continue in working towards transformative change

   • We recognise that everything is political and we will push our institutions to take a political stance on white-centrism, even when they are resistant to doing so

   • We must continue to interrogate our own positionality and hold ourselves accountable

This Manifesto was co-created through verbal reflections during the workshop and written communications afterwards. Whilst we acknowledge we alone cannot decenter whiteness in the sense that white supremacy is the dominant paradigm we currently live under, we can challenge it in our day to day through action, behaviour, ideas and speech and so contribute towards a collective shift away from this pervasive and harmful paradigm. That is what we are committing to do.

This is not something that is time-bound and it is an ongoing commitment to decenter whiteness wherever and whenever we encounter it.

Co-Created by all attendees from the 'Decentering Whiteness' workshop on 8th February 2024, including:

Dr Karisha Kimone George (Associate Lecturer, Department of Psychology, University of York).

Professor Divine Charura (School of Education, Language and Psychology, York St John University).

Susannah Williams (PhD Student, Department of Politics and International Relations, University of York).

Melissa Williams (PhD Student, Department of Politics and International Relations, University of York).

Victoria Burgher (Artist and PhD Student, Centre for Social Justice Research, University of Westminster).

Limor Augustin (PhD Candidate, York St John University).

Katie Heffron (PhD Student, Department of Education, University of York).

Firdes Ali (PhD Student, School of Humanities, York St John University).