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Studying Ethnic‐Racial Identity among White Youth: White Supremacy as a Developmental Context
Author(s) -
Moffitt Ursula,
Rogers Leoandra Onnie
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
journal of research on adolescence
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.342
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1532-7795
pISSN - 1050-8392
DOI - 10.1111/jora.12762
Subject(s) - white supremacy , white (mutation) , ethnic group , scholarship , identity (music) , gender studies , racial formation theory , context (archaeology) , sociology , psychology , social psychology , racism , political science , law , anthropology , aesthetics , paleontology , biochemistry , chemistry , philosophy , biology , gene
As developmental scholars increasingly study ethnic and racial identity among white youth, careful reflection is needed regarding its framing, implementation, and interpretation. In this three‐part conceptual paper, we offer a foundation for such reflection. First, we discuss the sociocultural context of white supremacy that shapes U.S. society, psychology, and adolescent development, and situate the study of ethnic and racial identity among white youth within this context. Second, we consider Janet Helms’s White Racial Identity Development model, reviewing theory and research building on her argument that race—and whiteness, specifically—must be centered to achieve racial justice‐oriented scholarship on white identity. We conclude by offering four guiding insights for conducting critical research on racial identity development among white youth.