Rooting Race in Place: Whites’ Racial Learning in Southern Kinds of Places

Abstract

Abstract We draw from 70 in-depth interviews with White southerners to examine their memories of and experiences with learning about race and whiteness. Our emphasis is on place and how it shapes Whites’ racial learning. To date, most research on racial learning centers ethno-racial minority children and their families and emphasizes when racial learning occurs. Less attention is paid to where it takes place. To remedy this, we center Southern kinds of places - those places and the social scenes within them that reflect, extend, and challenge dominant ideas about race and region. We examine three specific scenes - southern homes, southern schools, and southern college campuses - to illustrate how each shapes the racial lessons Whites receive. By bringing into focus the places White southerners draw upon when making sense of race, our research offers an important contribution to our understanding of whiteness and its transmission.