Zembylas, M. (2025). Affective methodologies for a critical study of whiteness: Considerations for white scholars. Contemporary Educational Psychology, 102346. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cedpsych.2025.102346
Abstract:
This paper aims to extend the conversation on the importance of renewing the scope of educational research to critically examine whiteness in a way that acknowledges and values Black affects. Additionally, it explores methodological considerations for White scholars who seek to advance this research agenda. The paper offers strategies for White researchers to center Black, Indigenous, and People of Color in their analyses of the affective enactments of whiteness in educational settings. The discussion emphasizes two key insights: the need for educational research, particularly by White scholars, to explicitly focus on the critical study of whiteness, considering the affective, material, and historically contextual impacts of racialization, anti-Blackness, and white supremacy; and the importance of recognizing and addressing the affective experiences of Black individuals, as shaped by these same processes.