Race and ethnicity II: White women and the possessive geographies of white supremacy

Abstract

In this second report on research about race and ethnicity in geography, I build from growing scholarly interest in the geographies of white supremacy to consider white women’s central role in the production and maintenance of white supremacy in the United States. I discuss some of the conceptual approaches and critical interventions of Black and antiracist feminist scholarship in theorizing white supremacy. After reviewing key themes and theoretical insights about gender and white supremacy, I expand on the notion of possessive geographies as a means of examining discourses and rationalizations of ownership and white propertied power. I emphasize the importance of engaging with Black and antiracist feminist scholarship that has long provided the tools necessary for understanding white women and the possessive geographies of white supremacy.