This research seeks to understand how white individuals living in Edmonton, experience their racial identity today. The project also seeks to fill a gap in anthropological literature concerning white identity, perceptions around privilege, and ‘whiteness’ as an ideology and structure which creates hierarchy and inequality in greater Canadian society.
This research will use what Corces-Zimmerman and Guida describe as Critical White Methodology. In so doing, this work will be conducted in a manner that acknowledges the role of whiteness as a formative structure in Canadian society and which our team seeks to challenge. Our interviews will incorporate dialogue from team members in which we may reply to your responses with fact-checked data (and their sources) concerning misinformation around, for example, systemic racism such as income or unemployment rates of racialized Edmontonians. Our goal is not just to collect this important data, but work to alleviate misinformation, and acknowledge and be accountable for the ways in which whiteness influences our own thoughts, behaviours, and attitudes.
This project uses ethnographic methods including participant observation (through online club platforms) and online individual interviews. During the interview, you will also be asked to participate in a 'pile sort' activity, which is a technique where participants organize concepts in a meaningful way, as the interviewer asks them to describe the connections they make among concepts. The purpose of this sorting exercise is to better understand the relationship between these topics. Pile sorts are conducted online through google jam boards.
Participants will be asked to reflect on their experiences with whiteness, privilege, and feelings of belonging as it impacts their identities. These experiences may include some negative interactions that may be upsetting to think about when participating in an interview. Participants will also be asked to discuss their identity, which they might find uncomfortable to recount.
Please do not respond to any questions that you do not want to answer, or which make you feel uncomfortable. You can still take part in the study if you decide to skip questions or opt not to create a knowledge map. For a list of available supports and resources to help with these potential risks in Edmonton, please look to the end of this Letter of Information.
This project seeks to fill a gap in knowledge concerning individual, systemic and institutional privilege, and thoughts about race, racism and racialization, of non-racialized Edmontonians (both immigrants and Canadians). With MacEwan’s continued focus on inclusion and internationalization, this data will provide greater understanding to the importance of social, ethno-cultural, and gendered disparity of accessing resources in our surrounding community.
You will be given a $10 gift certificate to Amazon (or another online provider) as an incentive to participate. Every participant will receive an incentive. In order to receive your incentive, you must provide an email address to the researcher. Your ability to receive an incentive does not depend on how much of the interview you complete.
Data gathering and storing methods will follow TCPS2 standard confidentiality guidelines. These regulations follow best practices set out by the Tri-Council Policy Statement: Ethical Conduct for Research Involving Humans. These policies include but are not limited to:
All information you provide will be kept confidential.
Any dissemination of research findings will be done in aggregate form.
Only the research team will have access to your demographic and contact information as it is associated with the data collected. Those conducting the interview will anonymize all raw survey data before sharing it with any other individuals involved in this research.
While data are being analyzed and a final report written, the data will be housed on password-protected computers.
Once the study is complete, the data (without any identifying information) will be stored on password-protected computers for up to two years, after which time it will be destroyed (September 2022).
This project employs Internet-based video platforms (Zoom, Google Meets, or another online meeting platform of your choice).
Your participation is voluntary. You may choose to answer only those questions that you are comfortable with. You may withdraw from the research project for any reason, at any time without explanation or penalty of any sort. Whether you chose to participate or not will have no effect on how you are treated by any members of the research team.
Should you wish to withdraw your data after having completed the interview, we will be able to do so up to September 2020 from the community report. Please contact Jennifer Long at longj34@macewan.ca should you wish to have your data removed from the data set.
If you have any questions about the data collection methods, if you have privacy concerns or, to obtain a copy of the results, please contact the Principal Investigator (Jennifer Long, longj34@macewan.ca).
This project has been reviewed on ethical grounds by the MacEwan University Research Ethics Board on June 16. 2020. Any questions regarding your rights as a participant may be addressed to the Board at 780-497-4280 or REB@macewan.ca).
If you feel uncertain or uneasy when reflecting on your experiences and would like to speak with someone, and are a student, staff, or faculty member at MacEwan, we encourage you to follow up with the Wellness and Psychological Services available to you on campus and/or within Edmonton:
Students - Personal Counselling to support you in coping with ongoing or situational challenges: Call: (780) 497-5064; Email: StudentAffairs@MacEwan.ca
Students - Peer Support – Peer Support is a student-operated program that provides students with a safe, confidential environment to discuss stress and tough situations with a trained listener. Email: peersupport@samu.ca
Students - Services to Students with Disabilities (SSD) - SSD includes support for students with ongoing or temporary disabilities or medical conditions that are barriers to student learning. Call: (780) 497-5886;
Faculty and staff – Please visit the Employee and Family Assistance Program available through https://www.workhealthlife.com/
If you feel uncertain or uneasy when reflecting on your experiences and would like to speak with someone, and not affiliated with MacEwan University, we encourage you to follow up with the Wellness and Psychological Services available to you within Edmonton:
Dial 9-1-1 or visit the nearest hospital for emergencies
Edmonton Distress Line (24hr): 780-482-4357
AHS Mental Health Helpline (24hr): 1-877-303-2642
Sexual Assault Centre of Edmonton Crisis Line (24hr): 780-423-4121
Local Information and Referrals: 211
Jennifer Long, 2021