RESEARCH
CURRENT RESEARCH
I am most interested in exploring issues of settler colonialism, anti-indigeneity, and anti-blackness as enacted and reproduced by schooling. Specifically, I look at what I call "benevolent whiteness": the gendered enactment of white supremacy under the guise of rescuing and/or recuperating people of color by "well-intentioned" white women teachers beginning in the 19th century. Some of the questions guiding my current work are: What does it mean, and how is it useful, to conceptualize white women as agents and schools as sites of settler colonialism? How does an ideological and historical understanding of gendered whiteness allow for a more nuanced understanding of contemporary raced/gendered relationships in schools? How viable is a theory of gendered benevolent whiteness given the slippery nature of both whiteness and gender? How do Indigenous Feminisms allow a more apt lens through which to view gendered white supremacy, and educational history in general?
I am also currently working on a participatory action research project with Dr. Wanda Watson (Mills College) and a group of Bay Area elementary school teachers. In this multi-year project we are exploring implementation of ethnic studies curriculum in elementary (K-5) classrooms and its potential to foster transformative learning among students of all backgrounds. Our work in progress is shared at www.elementaryethnicstudies.com.
CURRENT RESEARCH
I am most interested in exploring issues of settler colonialism, anti-indigeneity, and anti-blackness as enacted and reproduced by schooling. Specifically, I look at what I call "benevolent whiteness": the gendered enactment of white supremacy under the guise of rescuing and/or recuperating people of color by "well-intentioned" white women teachers beginning in the 19th century. Some of the questions guiding my current work are: What does it mean, and how is it useful, to conceptualize white women as agents and schools as sites of settler colonialism? How does an ideological and historical understanding of gendered whiteness allow for a more nuanced understanding of contemporary raced/gendered relationships in schools? How viable is a theory of gendered benevolent whiteness given the slippery nature of both whiteness and gender? How do Indigenous Feminisms allow a more apt lens through which to view gendered white supremacy, and educational history in general?
I am also currently working on a participatory action research project with Dr. Wanda Watson (Mills College) and a group of Bay Area elementary school teachers. In this multi-year project we are exploring implementation of ethnic studies curriculum in elementary (K-5) classrooms and its potential to foster transformative learning among students of all backgrounds. Our work in progress is shared at www.elementaryethnicstudies.com.
