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White Racial Literacy and Racial Dexterity
Author(s) -
Harrelson Kevin J.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
educational theory
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.21
H-Index - 42
eISSN - 1741-5446
pISSN - 0013-2004
DOI - 10.1111/edth.12473
Subject(s) - literacy , white (mutation) , racial formation theory , psychology , racial differences , anxiety , social psychology , racism , racial bias , sociology , developmental psychology , gender studies , pedagogy , ethnic group , biochemistry , chemistry , psychiatry , anthropology , gene
This essay presents racial literacy and racial dexterity as educational desiderata, especially for white students. Racial literacy is defined as the ability to recognize and interpret racial nuances in real social engagements. Racial dexterity is defined as the ability to engage successfully with diverse racial contexts. After defining racial literacy and racial dexterity, Kevin Harrelson analyzes these skills by contrasting them with racial naivety and racial anxiety. He argues that transitioning from naivety to literacy, and from anxiety to dexterity, requires treating cross‐racial interactions as key learning events.